This Week I am Reading ... Mrs Emma Mercer-Carter

Mrs Emma Mercer-Carter is a Specialist Teacher at Elmfield. Emma shares her review of a series of novels by Alexander Fuller below.

I am currently reading a series of books by Alexandra Fuller.

The first book I read at half term was 'Don't Lets go to the Dogs Tonight', the book charts Alexandra's childhood growing up on a variety of farms in Africa. She writes about her experiences in a vivid, comical and engaging way. Growing up in Africa, she experienced the loss of two of her younger siblings and lived through war in Rhodesia and the arrival of Mugabe. Her upbringing in Africa is a world away from the pampered West dealing with snakes, crocodiles, regular bouts of malaria with little or no access to medical care or western products. Alexandra in this book also charts the impact of her mother's depression on her childhood.

I enjoyed the book so much that I went on to read 'Leaving before the Rains Come' which charts the slow and tragic breakdown of her twenty year marriage to Charlie. Charlie appears to rescue her from the trauma she has suffered in Africa and they begin a new life in America, but somehow Alexandra is unable to leave her past behind, her past life in Africa is so powerful.

I am currently reading her next book 'Travel light and Move Fast': this examines her family history. Her parents spent their adult life farming in Africa and survived war, the loss of three of their children and moves to different farms across African countries. Tim, her dad, is always searching for the best option for the family, trying to survive the impact of war, climate change and trauma in the family. The book also tackles the grief Alexandra experiences when she looses her father and how the family has to come to terms with this huge loss.

The books are truly inspiring and give an insight into another world and culture. Having lived in the Middle East myself, for a decade, I love reading books set in other cultures and Africa is a continent that fascinates me. If you want to go on an adventure I would recommend any, or all three, of these books!