Another Dead Madman
It is ironic but fitting that as I was closing the last pages of The Last King of Scotland that Idi Amin was on his deathbed. In my previous post I described my nervous relationship with him and the past of my country of citizenship, Uganda.
It is surely a topic of critical theory but sometimes a relationship one has with subject matter can make a book hard to review with even a shred of objectivity. My proximity to Amin and Uganda made me disconnect from the books themes (at least formally) and as I read it I let my mind wander and react on its own. Some may read this way all the time but I'm usually more analytic as I read.
Maybe that's a success of Foden; you're so raptured by tropical medicine, narrative, political intrigue and humor that you forget to be concious of the book and just inhale it. A food critic who is having a meal after a few days fasting is what comes to my mind...
There is a good interview of Foden to be found here which gives a good overview of his approach and reasoning for the book. I found it excellent and will probably buy or distribute copies to friends. By the way, you can get a used copy on Amazon for just over $3.
6:40:18 PM 
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