The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest is a 2002 book by Aminatta Forna about her childhood and an investigation into the execution of her father, Mohamed Forna. It was serialised as a Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4 and was runner-up for the 2003 Samuel Johnson Prize.
 | |
| Author | Aminatta Forna |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Memoir, Sierra Leone history |
| Published | 2002 (HarperCollins) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 223 |
| ISBN | 9780802140487 |
| OCLC | 829656576 |
Reception edit
Reviewing The Devil That Danced on the Water for The Guardian, Victoria Brittain wrote: "Aminatta Forna's story of her father's execution on trumped-up treason charges, 25 years before anyone had heard of the Revolutionary United Front, gives a more personal framework for understanding the horror of the 1990s in the linked wars of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea."[1]
Booklist called it "stunning" and "an important look at the sad state of politics in Sierra Leone",[2] and the Library Journal saw it as "More than a tale of vindication, this book is filled with powerful descriptions and moving details and if overly long is nevertheless an important work."[2]
Christopher Hope, writing in The Independent, stated: "Forna has written a book that is impossible to forget, or to confuse with any other memoir of tyrannical times." and found it "an obsessive, driven, refreshing book about Africa, despotism and exile."[3]
The Devil That Danced on the Water has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,[4] Kirkus Reviews,[5] People,[6] Metro,[7] The New Yorker,[8] Confrontation,[9] and Entertainment Weekly.[10]
The Devil That Danced on the Water was on the shortlist for the 2003 Samuel Johnson Prize.[11] It was also Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4 and was serialised in the Sunday Times.[12][13]
Comparisons have been drawn between this work and Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria (2012) by Noo-Saro-Wiwa.[14]
References edit
- ^ Brittain, Victoria (18 May 2002). "Books: The Truth about Daddy". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ a b "The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest: Reviews". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ Hope, Christopher (25 May 2002). "Culture: Books: Reviews - The Devil That Danced on the Water, by Aminatta Forna". The Independent. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "A Time of AngelsThe Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest (starred review)". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 4 November 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
Reminiscent of Isabelle Allende's House of the Spirits, Forna's work is a powerfully and elegantly written mix of complex history, riveting memoir and damning exposé.
- ^ "The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
A searing indictment of African tyranny mingled with bittersweet childhood memories.
- ^ Lynn, Allison (February 2003). "The Devil That Danced on the Water (Book)". People. 59 (6). Time Inc: 43. Retrieved 30 January 2017.[dead link]
- ^ White, Margo; Rose Hoare (June 2003). "The Devil That Danced on the Water (Book)". Metro (264). Bauer Media: 97. Retrieved 30 January 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "The Devil That Danced on the Water (Book)". The New Yorker. 79 (1). Condé Nast: 201. 17 February 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Tucker, Martin (March 2003). "Africa Dissenting". Confrontation (82): 331. Retrieved 30 January 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "The Week". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. February 2003. Retrieved 30 January 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "Devil that Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Memoir (HarperCollins)". thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "Aminatta Forna". BBC News. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ "The Devil that Danced on the Water, a memoir". Aminatta Forna. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Gagiano, Annie (1 September 2019). "Recovering and recovering from an African past: four women's quest narratives". Journal of Transatlantic Studies. 17 (3): 269–289. doi:10.1057/s42738-019-00025-x. ISSN 1754-1018.