Set against the idyllic tropical island of Madagascar, we follow Shay, an African-American professor, and her Italian husband Senna as they build their massive dream home. At the heart of the novel is Shay's relationship with Senna and her growing realization of the sacrifices she's made for their marriage. This book also talks about the natural beauty of the island, its rich culture, the stark class divisions, and the settler exploitation.

"You can't come into the country, build a big house, and take what you want. The country comes into you as well, into your blood. And so the land you set out to plunder ends by plundering you."

Remarkably slow-paced, this novel is structured into 10 chapters that can be read as their own distinct stories. My favorite is the first chapter, titled "The Packet War". It is mysterious with gothic vibes!

What I loved:

Andrea Lee's writing style! The prose is lyrical with rich descriptions and keen attention to detail. The settings were so vivid I was transported to the island, basking in the sun, and enjoying the gorgeous beach and beautiful, lush surroundings! She also did an excellent job of crafting interesting characters.

The novel explores important themes, such as questions of identity, privilege and power dynamics, and cultural exchange and the clash between Western influences and local traditions.

Lee also expertly captures the complexities of human relationships. The interactions between the characters felt authentic and layered.

What didn't work for me:

The pacing is quite slow, and while the first chapter immediately captivated me, the rest of the book seemed to drag on a bit and the drastic jump between years may confuse some readers. French and Malagasy languages are peppered throughout the book especially in dialogue or cultural references to add authenticity and linguistic diversity, but at some point, I stopped checking what they meant.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. This is the type of literary fiction that I love reading now and then - immersive, thought-provoking, complex, and layered. ( )

Started very personal and nystic and then went on to be a very colonial story. Wish it would not have changed intobthat direction but still a good read. ( )

“Madagascar has its own fabulously complex identity, and is not to be taken lightly.” ( )

A complex set of stories woven into a narrative about love, marriage, culture, race and caste. Lee does her readers the honor of not explicitly telling us what to think. Instead, she shows how intricately tied together people can be, and how where we came from does not always dictate where we belong. ( )

This mesmerizing book opens as Shay Gilliam, a Black American intellectual married to Senna a tycoon Italian businessman, and unwilling mistress of the Red House, a sprawling big house and household in Madagascar, is following her Malagasy housekeeper to a conjurer to lift an evil spell on her house.

This quietly powerful book, told through a series of incisive and vividly written vignettes/anecdotes, presents a narrative arch spanning a twenty year-period exploring cultural and identity collisions between and within the Indigenous population and the Europeans in this neocolonial society.

While Shay is not always present in the vignettes, she is always hovering as an observer, as she tries to reconcile the rifts in her marriage, her identity as being a “mistress” to a “plantation” house, the cost of being an outsider and the higher cost of belonging to the privileged class and the history as a Black woman in Africa.

I appreciated all the wonderful historical and cultural details of the Malagasy world, and how the people live with dignity as they and their country become a fetish exotic adventure destination for others.

This is an eloquent and elegant introspective read as the topics of identity expectations and being the life you want, how to enjoy your success yet still honoring your ancestry, and how survival is knowing your worth and the making the best with what you have to offer are presented from a fresh perspective on cultural collisions and the dualities and multiplicities that exist within us. ( )