Shoshanapnw's review
Tropical Fish: Tales From Entebbe by Doreen Baingana
Uganda
This short story collection is comprised of stories about and narrated by three Ugandan sisters. It focuses on the youngest (and presumably most autobiographical), Christine, and various aspects of her coming of age. Themes of family strife, beliefs, and place in the world are set against the lightly sketched but very present backdrop of Idi Amin's regime. Most affecting is "A Thank-You Note," in which the harsh realities of AIDS are juxtaposed with the joy and freedom of sexuality, neither negating the other. "Questions of Home," like many other narratives of travel and culture, nicely illustrates both culture shock and the reverse culture shock of return.
This short story collection is comprised of stories about and narrated by three Ugandan sisters. It focuses on the youngest (and presumably most autobiographical), Christine, and various aspects of her coming of age. Themes of family strife, beliefs, and place in the world are set against the lightly sketched but very present backdrop of Idi Amin's regime. Most affecting is "A Thank-You Note," in which the harsh realities of AIDS are juxtaposed with the joy and freedom of sexuality, neither negating the other. "Questions of Home," like many other narratives of travel and culture, nicely illustrates both culture shock and the reverse culture shock of return.
