The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji

M.G. Vassanji has long been a favorite writer of mine. I’ve had The Magic of Saida sitting on my shelf for years now – it moved from Canada to Scotland with us – but it just hasn’t been calling to me. In fact, many of his more recent books haven’t hit me the way his earlier works did. So what did i think of The Magic of Saida?

The Setting Sun by Bart Moore-Gilbert

I was immediately drawn to The Setting Sun for two reasons: 1) I was familiar with the author, Bart Moore-Gilbert, and his work on Post Colonial Literary Theory from graduate school, and 2) this books was a memoir of sorts about the father Moore-Gilbert didn’t know. So a little academic gossip matched with mystery and intrigue and I was sold. Even if you are not familiar with Moore-Gilbert, the journey of discovery he embarks on to uncover his father’s questionable past makes great fodder for a memoir of this type.