Ground

by Jadelin Gangbo

It all starts with a fire. Seven children, asleep in a big house in the Italian countryside. A forgotten candle. Their parents are not there. They are in a different country, a different continent, Africa, where other siblings are growing as part of the same family but in an entirely different life. Without their parents, the children feel dispersed, trying to keep hold of each other.

Now in his forties, Redesof works as an acupuncturist in post-Brexit London. From his balcony in Hackney he talks to his beautiful neighbour Telma telling her his story; of his childhood of migration from Congo to Italy to Britain, hoping to come to some sort of resolution with his past.

A heartfelt tale of displacement, family, and home, Ground delivers a story with international scope that is vital in today's world.

576 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2024

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable novel that inevitably recalls Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in its descriptions of life in Africa and Europe but which is impressive given English is a language the author learned only as he approached middle age. It’s long – apparently, it took many years to write and perhaps could do with an edit - but high points include the book’s narrative interweaving with politics since the 1980s, powerful sections on the refugee and immigrant experience and fascinating depictions of the Republic of Congo, generally less well-known globally than its neighbour, the Democratic Republic. A lot of the action takes place in Italy with Forza Italia and The Lega not, as you would expect, sympathetic to outsiders and the tale of an extended family who meet varying fates is well told.