The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar

by Syl Cheney-Coker

In a chimerical world of illusion and truth, fired by a language that challenges the imagination, this book tells the story of a Sierra Leone-like country, from the time of the freed black American slaves who returned to Africa.

Genres: Africa, Sierra Leone, African Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction

398 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

Reviews

[Samantha]

I actually really liked the way it started - Fatmatta's story was heartbreaking, and I was invested in Jeanette's story at first. The magical realism was actually intriguing (and I say this as someone who is not a magical realism fan) - but as the book progressed, the various life stories became occasionally boring. I still liked Matilda's story, for example, and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style throughout. Especially the way sin and morality were worked into the life experiences, mixed through with religious and cultural expectations. It still fell a bit flag at the end - revolution or not, the stakes didn't feel that high.

[Gordon Wells]

Not sure what to make of this book. Started off as vivid magical realism but became a boring string of vignettes

[TheKing161]

I like these readings too much