White Elephant

by Catherine Cooper

Physician Richard Berringer, his wife, Ann, and their thirteen-year old son, Torquil, have abandoned their recently-completed dream home in Nova Scotia and moved to Sierra Leone, despite warnings that the West African country is in a civil war. Two months on, things are not going well. Tensions are rising between Richard and his boss; Torquil — who hates Sierra Leone almost as much as he hates his father — has launched a hunger strike; and Ann is bedridden with illnesses that Richard believes are all in her head. While the Berringers battle with themselves, each other, and the worlds they inhabit, the narrative repeatedly returns to their past, shedding light on what brought them together, what keeps them together, why they have come to Africa, and why they might not be able to go home again.

355 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2016

About the author

Catherine Cooper's first book, The Western Home: Stories for Home on the Range, is a collection of short stories published by Pedlar Press in 2014. Her first novel, White Elephant, was published by Freehand Books in 2016. Her second novel, Lásko, was published by Freehand Books in 2023.

Reviews

[Frédérique · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but here is my honest review.
I appreciated the setting of the story, taking place in Sierra Leone. To me, it was unique and an interesting place to read about. I also appreciated the brief glimpses of superstition, traditional beliefs and cultural practices that were mentioned. I only wished we could have had a little more background information and just more information in general on those. It was interesting to read from the perspective of a Canadian family trying to make their lives in a new country that they didn't quite understand. Cooper's writing style flowed well. Loved the chapters alternating from the perspectives of the different family members.
My only struggle with this story was the characters. Now I'm pretty sure I wasn't meant to adore the Berringer family, but reading about them was difficult. I had trouble relating or even empathizing with them. I feel that this being a very character-driven story, I would have enjoyed it so much more had I at least felt something for one of the characters. I have to say though, that the family members did begin to change a bit and I felt like I wouldn't mind reading more about them, however this change only occurred in the last portion of the book.
Although this particular novel may not have been for me, I'm definitely interested in trying more of Cooper's work in the future.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written story with vivid descriptions of Sierra Leone. The implications and difficulties of a white Canadian family transplanted into a culture they don't understand are thoughtfully examined. When I picked up this book I was expecting a slightly humourous story about a quirky family trying to adapt to their new home. This is not at all what this book is about. It was quite bleak, humourless and full of despair. I don't think I have ever despised a fictional family as much as I hated the Berringers. The only one I liked at all was the dog and I felt bad that he had to live with such awful people! They were truly the most horrid characters. I kept hoping that through their experiences in Sierra Leone they would grow and change for the better but they stubbornly remained terrible people. It was hard to read about them and how they treated others within their family and also outside of the family. They were equal opportunity a$$holes and were horrible to everyone they encountered. I had a hard time feeling any connection to them. While the story was good it centers on such hateful, unlikable characters that I didn't feel as engaged with the story as I might have been if I had any positive feelings for them at all.

I received this book for free through a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway but this has not influenced my review in any way.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions on this one : Overall it was ok.
I was off to a judgemental start when I opened the book to discover the family already lived in Sierra Leone vs moving there from Nova Scotia during the book (as I thought I had read in one of the ads for the book), and I quickly learned to dislike the selfish yet realistic and entertaining characters as they muddled through their daily lives. Flawed as they were, I stuck with the book (yes, luckily it was well written) and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.

[Sonia Tilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book quite extraordinary. . The characters are rare types, all of them, especially the thirteen-year-old Torquil who tries to maintains his autonomy against heavy odds, including his breathtakingly wacky parents. Their misadventures are alarming and disturbing, if at times funny, and one feels driven to find out how their story ends The setting, Sierra Leone, is wonderfully conveyed in all its corruption, poverty, and beauty. An excellent read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it really challenged me, and my thinking. The characters were all so flawed, and I'd even go so far as to say unlikeable, but somehow, much to my dismay, I found myself empathising with every one of them - a tribute to the author's character development and story telling genius.

[Laurie W · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. I loved the historical, geographical and social setting for this story, and found that many of the interactions among characters rang true. However, the thing(s) I didn’t like were the three main characters - mom, dad and sin. All of them were negative personalities with little to redeem them, and their relationships with one another quite dysfunctional, and that made it really hard for me to enjoy the book.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) For a character-driven story, all the main characters are far too unlikable for this to really grab me.

[Jody Brouwers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit depressing but beautifully written. I couldn't put it down.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A challenging read, with characters that are complex and yet familiar.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine Cooper’s impressive debut novel chronicles the adventures of the dysfunctional Berringer family, Canadians living in Sierra Leone. Dr. Richard Berringer, a physician, has brought his wife Ann and son Torquil to Africa where he’s working at a clinic trying to bring advanced health care to the local populace. Richard wants to do good, but is hampered by any number of impediments: the threat of civil war, the traditional beliefs of the people he’s trying to help, his own impatient temperament, a boss who’s resistant to change, and the fact that he’s a foreigner who often comes across as arrogant. To complicate matters, Richard’s wife Ann suffers from a variety of apparently allergy based ailments and environmental sensitivities—a condition that Richard is convinced is imaginary but which nonetheless forced the family out of the “dream” home they built in Nova Scotia when Ann found it uninhabitable—and their son hates everything to do with Africa: the food, the people, its backwardness and lack of modern technologies. It all makes for high tensions among the three Berringers, as the mischievous Tor seeks every opportunity to subvert his parents’ authority and Ann, seeking a means to make herself healthy, falls under the sway of Maggie, an American missionary running an orphanage. Cooper’s narrative, focusing mainly on the Berringer’s experiences in Africa, occasionally shifts back to the family’s former life in Nova Scotia to shed light on the circumstances that conspired to deposit them in Sierra Leone. In Cooper’s telling, Ann, Richard and Tor share centre stage, each providing his or her own perspective on a situation that’s growing increasingly untenable. The writing is fast-paced and confident and tells a story that is by turns hilarious and horrifying. Occasionally difficult to read, White Elephant is never less than entertaining and is frequently engrossing and deeply moving. Catherine Cooper, who has also published a collection of short fiction, is clearly a writer of great imaginative gifts who is not afraid to take risks.

[Tracy Monaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated this family and then I was surprised how invested I became in what happened to them. Each character is vulnerable and heartbreaking in their own way and ultimately I loved them all. Wolverines! Also, I want a Part II.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is set in Sierra Leone but I strongly hope readers don't think they are learning anything real about the country or its people. The story is about the mother, father, and son that make up this pitiful family and the location serves as a stressful setting to bring out their natures. These are not run-of-the-mill unlikable self-centered people involved in a fiction plot. All three are broken and their pathology is the point of the novel. With alternating chapters told from the point of view of each, the reader is able to feel empathy for them without liking them. Because of the writing style I wanted to read on and see where the author was going with it.

I recommend A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah to anyone interested in Sierra Leone for a first-hand account of the 1990s war.

[Buried In Print]

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[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine gradually reveals her characters, peeling back the layers, allowing us a glimpse into their hearts, their struggles, their vulnerabilities. As in life, when we really get to know someone, it's very hard not to develop some degree of empathy. I also appreciated her treatment of the assumptions and misunderstandings that develop as a result of religious and cultural preconceptions.

[Kyla Belvedere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

I really loved the writing style. I was pulled in by the backstories and the characters. Did I like the characters? No. Was I meant to like them? Probably not. Cooper's writing is quite flawless and I think she really layers complexities very subtly.

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never minded novels full of unlikeable characters, which served me well here. Plenty of misery to go around.

[Karen Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was about difficult characters in a difficult setting and situation. Cooper presented them honestly and with all their unsavoury layers. Not a book I relished getting into. However, it flowed nicely and gave me elements to ponder after finishing it.