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Dislocation: A memoir of an East African childhood
DISLOCATION is a fascinating memoir of a childhood spent on the move – mostly travelling between Scotland and East Africa. With an intrepid, restless father and a mother whose fragile mental state required stability, the only constant in the family’s life was a reliable Volkswagen Beetle. Yet despite constantly being uprooted Lucy Lang does not consider it an unhappy childhood.
Includes historical photographs mostly featuring the Volkswagen Beetle.
Includes historical photographs mostly featuring the Volkswagen Beetle.
- GenresMemoir
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2017
About the author
Lucy Lang
5 books17 followersAs an ex-nurse and an ex-teacher, I have just published a memoir about my mostly joyous childhood in East Africa. It was after two traumatic life events that I felt compelled to write about my unusual upbringing
It was my cancer diagnosis, which came at the same time as my mother's last illness, which propelled me to record my early life. It involved a lot of travel, but also captures what it is like to be the daughter of a mother with bi-polar.
I am an avid reader and a language graduate with a BA honours in French and History.
It was my cancer diagnosis, which came at the same time as my mother's last illness, which propelled me to record my early life. It involved a lot of travel, but also captures what it is like to be the daughter of a mother with bi-polar.
I am an avid reader and a language graduate with a BA honours in French and History.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 6, 2017
At first, I was not quite sure what to expect from this book. I guess it was the title itself that threw me off for some inane reason, even though I had read the forward and was aware of the content.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was as if I had been transported on the very same journey as the author simply because of the magnificent descriptive quality of the writing. I was there. This was definitely an adventure, and what a way to grow up. I do not know if I would have preferred to have such a "turbulent childhood", as the author herself has described it, to me it sounded like one adventure after another. Alas I did not live this, so really it is not for me to say.
I found I was captivated by the places and the people throughout this book, especially the ship-board excursions that sounded so very appealing to me, to be a passenger in this era must have been a treasure to hold in one's memory as the author so aptly describes. It becomes so apparent in the writing that this time of the authors life was crucial to her becoming the person she is today, that it taught her the value of a stable home life (even though hers was not as she has stated) and especially that of family, yet also how fragile each person's life can truly be simply at the drop of a hat.
I will say that being someone myself that works with people with mental illnesses, I would have preferred more insight into her mothers condition within these pages, yet I do not believe any more inclusion would have changed the content of the book. There were a few times when I had to stop and go back to realize which country I was in, yet I believe that only added to the intent of the content itself. As with the young life of the author, you were not always sure where it was you were, yet always seemed to come out on top regardless of circumstance.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing an excursion through "the continent" and "abroad" without the price tag to go along with it.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was as if I had been transported on the very same journey as the author simply because of the magnificent descriptive quality of the writing. I was there. This was definitely an adventure, and what a way to grow up. I do not know if I would have preferred to have such a "turbulent childhood", as the author herself has described it, to me it sounded like one adventure after another. Alas I did not live this, so really it is not for me to say.
I found I was captivated by the places and the people throughout this book, especially the ship-board excursions that sounded so very appealing to me, to be a passenger in this era must have been a treasure to hold in one's memory as the author so aptly describes. It becomes so apparent in the writing that this time of the authors life was crucial to her becoming the person she is today, that it taught her the value of a stable home life (even though hers was not as she has stated) and especially that of family, yet also how fragile each person's life can truly be simply at the drop of a hat.
I will say that being someone myself that works with people with mental illnesses, I would have preferred more insight into her mothers condition within these pages, yet I do not believe any more inclusion would have changed the content of the book. There were a few times when I had to stop and go back to realize which country I was in, yet I believe that only added to the intent of the content itself. As with the young life of the author, you were not always sure where it was you were, yet always seemed to come out on top regardless of circumstance.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing an excursion through "the continent" and "abroad" without the price tag to go along with it.
November 26, 2016
I was given a copy of Dislocation in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a memoir charting Lucy Lang’s early life from birth to aged eighteen in the 1960s and 70s. A moving and life-affirming memoir of a girl growing up in 1960s Africa.
Lucy was constantly on the move as her father’s work took the family to remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania at a time of political change and unrest. This is contrasted with time spent back home in Scotland in between jobs when Lucy and her sister would struggle to fit in at school and miss the vibrancy of their African life.
Lang weaves in the history of her mother but in an almost nonchalant way, not indulging in the ugliness that must have been present at certain times, but as a part of her history that she doesn’t recoil from but also very clearly describes how painful it was at times.
Their dislocation is the more painful as the constant upheaval takes its toll on their mother’s mental health and their parents’ marriage. Yet there’s an upbeat tone to the book and so much history and vivid detail of the countries and places they lived and visited.
I found this a fascinating book. This book is written with humour, honesty and affection. It cannot help but draw you into a young life full of riches and variety on the one hand and constant upheaval and worry over her mother’s mental state on the other.
At times, the writing felt a bit disjointed, jumping from different points when you already thought you’d passed that point but all in all works.
I enjoyed reading Lucy’s story, a tapestry of events woven from happiness and pain, from laughter and tears. Lucy Lang does an incredible job of documenting her families history The title ‘Dislocation’ predominantly refers to this chaotic upbringing, as well as living with a mother who was institutionalized on many occasions, unable to care for her two daughters.
This book is a memoir charting Lucy Lang’s early life from birth to aged eighteen in the 1960s and 70s. A moving and life-affirming memoir of a girl growing up in 1960s Africa.
Lucy was constantly on the move as her father’s work took the family to remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania at a time of political change and unrest. This is contrasted with time spent back home in Scotland in between jobs when Lucy and her sister would struggle to fit in at school and miss the vibrancy of their African life.
Lang weaves in the history of her mother but in an almost nonchalant way, not indulging in the ugliness that must have been present at certain times, but as a part of her history that she doesn’t recoil from but also very clearly describes how painful it was at times.
Their dislocation is the more painful as the constant upheaval takes its toll on their mother’s mental health and their parents’ marriage. Yet there’s an upbeat tone to the book and so much history and vivid detail of the countries and places they lived and visited.
I found this a fascinating book. This book is written with humour, honesty and affection. It cannot help but draw you into a young life full of riches and variety on the one hand and constant upheaval and worry over her mother’s mental state on the other.
At times, the writing felt a bit disjointed, jumping from different points when you already thought you’d passed that point but all in all works.
I enjoyed reading Lucy’s story, a tapestry of events woven from happiness and pain, from laughter and tears. Lucy Lang does an incredible job of documenting her families history The title ‘Dislocation’ predominantly refers to this chaotic upbringing, as well as living with a mother who was institutionalized on many occasions, unable to care for her two daughters.
September 28, 2017
A good read, well written - it did make me feel quite 'dizzy' at times with all the moving around this family did - but the author describes it all so well - you're swept along - trying to keep up with her dad - who got contact after contract for Africa - her mum who suffered a fragile mental state at times - and these two girls, the author and her sister… I loved the photos included.
October 23, 2017
An accurate title of an interesting and amazing childhood. I was left not knowing whether to be envious or thankful that my own childhood was so stable by comparison. The author takes you on a roller coaster ride, recalling her turbulent childhood. Having a father who dragged his family to East Africa where he did contract work, never able to shake off his restless nature formed in the Merchant Navy. Based in Scotland, the family moved constantly, living and travelling to many countries. The two daughters were often left to travel alone or dumped to live with relatives. To make life more complicated, Lucy's mother had serious mental health issues spending long periods in institutions. Missing extended periods of schooling until placed in a colonial boarding school in Africa, having to endure beatings every day and abusive treatment from staff. The author survives this childhood of love and neglect and goes on to study at University in Stirling and Geneva, making this memoir one of survival.
May 28, 2018
I had to give this book 5 stars. Easily. It was so lovely written, the landscape, the countries, Africa (and Scotland as well) so terrifically described. You could feel just how much the author really loved her, somewhat chaotic, childhood spent in African countries. More so than the more orderly times she lived in Scotland. I found myself looking at google maps to properly locate all the places Lucy travelled to and through, just to get a mental map of it all. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the eastern part of Africa in the 60th and 70th. Thank you for taking me briefly on your childhood journey!!!
June 4, 2018
An interesting memoir about a childhood lived constantly on the move, with one parent never ready to settle down and the other craving stability.
The author's childhood, spent traveling from Scotland to Africa multiple times as the fancy took her father, sounds exhausting though exciting because of all the adventures she describes.
The frequent moves, coupled with the absence of her father, his inability to really provide for the needs of his family, and her mother's fragile mental health, must have all contributed to a difficult childhood. And yet, she recalls the good times and travels with fondness.
The author's childhood, spent traveling from Scotland to Africa multiple times as the fancy took her father, sounds exhausting though exciting because of all the adventures she describes.
The frequent moves, coupled with the absence of her father, his inability to really provide for the needs of his family, and her mother's fragile mental health, must have all contributed to a difficult childhood. And yet, she recalls the good times and travels with fondness.
May 15, 2018
Papa was a rolling stone!
Lucy and her older sister, Lana, certainly had a fractured childhood. A touching tribute to her parents as well as a memoir, this is a tale of happiness, frustration and sometimes terror. Written from her own viewpoint as a child who had to put her troubled mother first from an early age, it is family love that shines through what could have been a bleak story. Born to loving, but completely mismatched parents, she spent much of her childhood in east Africa. Her father's wanderlust but inability to find a permanent job abroad meant sporadic, unsettling periods in the UK. Vivid descriptions of life in the African bush are interspersed with the fun of stays with her mother's wealthier London relatives and the bleakness of strict boarding schools. Her mother's increasing mental illness and the strain it put on the family is portrayed with empathy tinged with frustration at her father's refusal to settle down. A moving record of the ups and downs of a chaotic childhood.
Lucy and her older sister, Lana, certainly had a fractured childhood. A touching tribute to her parents as well as a memoir, this is a tale of happiness, frustration and sometimes terror. Written from her own viewpoint as a child who had to put her troubled mother first from an early age, it is family love that shines through what could have been a bleak story. Born to loving, but completely mismatched parents, she spent much of her childhood in east Africa. Her father's wanderlust but inability to find a permanent job abroad meant sporadic, unsettling periods in the UK. Vivid descriptions of life in the African bush are interspersed with the fun of stays with her mother's wealthier London relatives and the bleakness of strict boarding schools. Her mother's increasing mental illness and the strain it put on the family is portrayed with empathy tinged with frustration at her father's refusal to settle down. A moving record of the ups and downs of a chaotic childhood.
June 5, 2017
Lucy Lang's book 'Dislocation' is a story of adventure and heartbreak from the perspective of a child. A moving account of the author's own childhood, it records the effects of a life spent in constant limbo between two worlds, two vastly contrasting home environments, in Britain and in post-colonial east Africa. The book is an exercise in intricate memories, both bitter and sweet, describing Lucy's peregrinations with her family back and forth between Scotland or England and the tea plantations of Kenya and Tanzania. The interweaving of young memories is heart-warming, seen through Lucy's own eyes, made even more poignant by the perspective of adulthood. Lucy's story is a tale of childhood innocence and nostalgia for an (almost) idyllic past. It speaks of life's mixed fortunes, unconditional love, and the joy and torment of belonging.
February 5, 2017
In reading this memoir, I felt as though I'd been transported instantly. I found myself bouncing in a Beetle on the dusty roads of Africa. I stood sheltered by the banana leaves waiting for the torrential rainfall to end. I splashed in the pools on the passenger ships with my new friends.
I could see the author smiling while writing some passages, and I felt her pain as she likely shed tears while writing others.
In my view, the author has taken numerous traumatic childhood experiences, and from these has lovingly created a work of art. I would hope that this book becomes a family heirloom for generations to come.
In this work, the author has risen through the ashes and deserves a standing ovation.
I could see the author smiling while writing some passages, and I felt her pain as she likely shed tears while writing others.
In my view, the author has taken numerous traumatic childhood experiences, and from these has lovingly created a work of art. I would hope that this book becomes a family heirloom for generations to come.
In this work, the author has risen through the ashes and deserves a standing ovation.
May 19, 2017
Like many children born in Kenya, we remember all the happy days and exciting adventures of sailing to different countries, and in Lucy's case she did it many times between Kenya, Scotland and Tanzania. Her father so keen to work in East Africa and her mother suffering with Bi-polar, Lucy and her sister took it in their stride to help support their mother on her bad days, and you can see how difficult it was for them adjusting to the different school systems in the Africa and Scotland. It was a very turbulent childhood being moved from pillar to post and often in very hard up circumstances but Lucy and her sister seemed to ride the storm of childhood and I must say I was dizzy trying to keep up with which country they were in. An excellent read and highlights the difficulties of having a mother who really longed for a stable and secure home, a father with adventure in his heart and two children who just had to fit in but also had quite an exciting journey through their childhood and some very distressing times when their mother was ill.
October 12, 2017
An interesting childhood
Very good book and certainly had an unusual childhood. It brought back memories for me having spent some of my young days. In kenya.
Very good book and certainly had an unusual childhood. It brought back memories for me having spent some of my young days. In kenya.
July 4, 2018
An interesting story to read as I have travelled fairly extensively but never to Africa. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the travels and how they were viewed by a child. There is so much going on in the book with an often absent Father and a Mother who had serious mental health issues. It is amazing that the author stayed so strong.
November 23, 2016
As someone who is Manic Depressive (since age 19, similar to Lucy's mother who suffered from the same illness) it was so insightful and educating to not only read about an incredible upbringing as a child of a family living abroad and moving every six months or so depending on what post her travel-addict father could entice the government of Scotland to give him but also of her mother who stayed in the turbulent marriage and survived repeated bouts of mania and depression both abroad and at home in Europe.
Author Lucy Lang does an incredible job of documenting her family's history of both and what it was like to be an 'expat brat' of sorts getting free passes out of and into schools in Africa, Scotland and England - no matter if the term had just started or was quickly coming to an end. The title 'Dislocation' predominantly refers to this chaotic upbringing, as well as living with a mother who was institutionalized on many occassions, unable to care for her two daughters with a father who was only sporadically around to help.
Lang weaves in the history of her mother but in an almost nonchalant way, not indulging in the ugliness that must have been present in spades at certain times (when ill her mother could not care for her and her sister, they often went without food) but as a matter of fact, as a part of her history that she doesn't recoil from but also very clearly describes how painful it was at times. And it is clear she adored her mother, and father, who at one time had to rescue her from an abusive boarding school.
There's an upbeat tone to the book and so much history and vivid detail of the countries and places they lived (and visited on holidays) that it was a bit of a history lesson as much as a memoir. The writing felt a bit disjointed at times, jumping from here to there when you already thought you'd passed that point and is a bit cluncky like bits and pieces of a diary put together for effect but all in all works.
Great story, great read. And lovely insight into a childhood spent with a family member suffering from yet surviving one of the most serious mental illnesses psychiatry has listed in their books.
Author Lucy Lang does an incredible job of documenting her family's history of both and what it was like to be an 'expat brat' of sorts getting free passes out of and into schools in Africa, Scotland and England - no matter if the term had just started or was quickly coming to an end. The title 'Dislocation' predominantly refers to this chaotic upbringing, as well as living with a mother who was institutionalized on many occassions, unable to care for her two daughters with a father who was only sporadically around to help.
Lang weaves in the history of her mother but in an almost nonchalant way, not indulging in the ugliness that must have been present in spades at certain times (when ill her mother could not care for her and her sister, they often went without food) but as a matter of fact, as a part of her history that she doesn't recoil from but also very clearly describes how painful it was at times. And it is clear she adored her mother, and father, who at one time had to rescue her from an abusive boarding school.
There's an upbeat tone to the book and so much history and vivid detail of the countries and places they lived (and visited on holidays) that it was a bit of a history lesson as much as a memoir. The writing felt a bit disjointed at times, jumping from here to there when you already thought you'd passed that point and is a bit cluncky like bits and pieces of a diary put together for effect but all in all works.
Great story, great read. And lovely insight into a childhood spent with a family member suffering from yet surviving one of the most serious mental illnesses psychiatry has listed in their books.
December 5, 2017
What a fascinating memoir this is. The author describes her “nomadic” childhood in wonderful detail. The family were constantly moving as her father’s work took them to various locations in Africa often living in very remote areas. Her vivid descriptions of these places bring them to life and you can feel her love of Africa and her childlike excitement at the adventure of it all. I particularly loved her descriptions of their journeys by boat and plane and of course, the Volkswagen Beetle.
She also documents her mother’s fragile mental state and shows how the strain of never being settled affected her. She does this in a very matter of fact way but it must have been tremendously unsettling for she and her sister to have to look after their mother.
The girls missed a great deal of schooling as they moved between Africa and Scotland but somehow managed to cope with the constant changes and even with the unkind treatment at a Colonial Boarding school.
This family story is told in a very honest way and without any resentment. In fact she has very many wonderful, exciting and warm memories to look back on. It’s a terrific tale which I can highly recommend.
She also documents her mother’s fragile mental state and shows how the strain of never being settled affected her. She does this in a very matter of fact way but it must have been tremendously unsettling for she and her sister to have to look after their mother.
The girls missed a great deal of schooling as they moved between Africa and Scotland but somehow managed to cope with the constant changes and even with the unkind treatment at a Colonial Boarding school.
This family story is told in a very honest way and without any resentment. In fact she has very many wonderful, exciting and warm memories to look back on. It’s a terrific tale which I can highly recommend.
October 23, 2016
A humorous, moving and life-affirming memoir of an ex-pat Scottish girl growing up in 1960s Africa. The daughter of a tea planter and agricultural adviser, Lucy was constantly on the move as her father's work took the family to remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania at a time of political change and unrest. This is contrasted with time spent back home in Scotland in between jobs when Lucy and her sister would struggle to fit in at school and miss the vibrancy of their African life. Their dislocation is the more painful as the constant upheaval takes its toll on their mother's mental health and their parents' marriage. Yet the book is an affectionate tribute to a remarkable couple and a way of life long gone. For those who grew up in that era, you will love the nostalgia! It's a treat of a read.
July 26, 2021
A riveting story based around the love of travel and fun.
Lucy starts her story from her birth in Kenya, East Africa and we follow her through her travels back and forth to Scotland, Kenya, and Tanganyika.
Her father, a tea plantation manager has got the wanderlust and, over the years, they experience life in bustling, busy towns, also in remote areas. Her mother suffers from depression and mental health issues, mainly brought on with an unstable lifestyle. Lucy and Lana adored their parents but she never stops worrying about her mother's health and how she will be from one day to the next. The one constant in their life was their Volkswagen Beetle which they transported back and forth over the seas with them.
This is a very moving memoir, well written and with no trace of self-pity in her writings Lucy brings across the fun times they had in a truly compelling childhood tale.
Lucy starts her story from her birth in Kenya, East Africa and we follow her through her travels back and forth to Scotland, Kenya, and Tanganyika.
Her father, a tea plantation manager has got the wanderlust and, over the years, they experience life in bustling, busy towns, also in remote areas. Her mother suffers from depression and mental health issues, mainly brought on with an unstable lifestyle. Lucy and Lana adored their parents but she never stops worrying about her mother's health and how she will be from one day to the next. The one constant in their life was their Volkswagen Beetle which they transported back and forth over the seas with them.
This is a very moving memoir, well written and with no trace of self-pity in her writings Lucy brings across the fun times they had in a truly compelling childhood tale.
May 26, 2018
I was keen to read Dislocation as I have lived in most of the African countries Lucy describes in her memoir of a chaotic childhood torn between Africa and Scotland. The narrative is very choppy and somewhat manic. After I read the book I wondered if this was purposeful as a way to convey the ups and downs of a childhood with a father in love with Africa and a mentally ill mother who did best in her home of Scotland. I loved the descriptions of Tanzania and Mozambique as well as life on the ships that carried the colonials to and fro from their African posts. In all, I felt this story needed a tighter edit and a smoother delivery of the story. But there is an innocent appeal to this description of an African childhood and I found myself at the end of the story completely giddy but glad I had read it!
March 29, 2021
Lucy effortlessly paints lyrical pictures of breathtaking scenery and a completely different world culture. It would be hard to find anybody with the kind of childhood that Lucy experienced, with the travel, the adventure, the catastrophic lows and the magnicificent highs. I couldn't put it down! Excellent!
November 20, 2019
The story was interesting as it is an area were l worked on many of the tea plantations that are mentioned. It was however ruined by the many mistakes in the printing. Many paragraphs were jumbled up.
June 13, 2018
I found this book to be a very interesting read especially Being Scottish and picturing the scenes as I read them .the writer brought the countries she’s lived to life through her book and allowed the reader to picture them vividly. However I did find myself getting lost as the chapters and the writers life jumped about a lot flitting back and forth. My thanks to tbc reviewers for my chance to read
January 22, 2017
In this memoir we follow the author and her family as they yo-yo between ever changing posts in colonial Africa and a grim existence in Scotland. With a bi-polar mother unable to cope with herself or with her children, the snapshots of the author’s frenetic and fractured up-bringing make the reader amazed at her resilience, and her determination to make the best of whatever comes her way.
With their mother lurching from one depressive state to the next and from one hospital to the next (with a few hilarious highs thrown in), and their father popping in and out of their lives, the two girls somehow survive being cared for by their usually frosty relatives and the constant changing of schools where they are also usually unhappy. However, while the homes, the schools and the places they visit on their holidays are all faithfully recorded, as if in a diary, we aren’t given much insight into what they saw, the characters of the parents, the family dynamics and what lay beneath the parents’ dysfunction. We also are never given any indication of how this chaotic up-bringing affected the subsequent of the two children.
It’s a fraught tale, but it’s splendid that the author persevered in getting it all down on paper, and it will certainly provide very interesting reading for anyone coming from a similarly dysfunctional background.
For me it’s an ‘I like it’ rating, which is 4 stars on Amazon and 3 stars on Goodreads.
With their mother lurching from one depressive state to the next and from one hospital to the next (with a few hilarious highs thrown in), and their father popping in and out of their lives, the two girls somehow survive being cared for by their usually frosty relatives and the constant changing of schools where they are also usually unhappy. However, while the homes, the schools and the places they visit on their holidays are all faithfully recorded, as if in a diary, we aren’t given much insight into what they saw, the characters of the parents, the family dynamics and what lay beneath the parents’ dysfunction. We also are never given any indication of how this chaotic up-bringing affected the subsequent of the two children.
It’s a fraught tale, but it’s splendid that the author persevered in getting it all down on paper, and it will certainly provide very interesting reading for anyone coming from a similarly dysfunctional background.
For me it’s an ‘I like it’ rating, which is 4 stars on Amazon and 3 stars on Goodreads.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews