Word Attack!!

Tears of the Giraffe

April 1, 2008 on 5:36 pm | In Book Reviews |

April 7, 2006

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book. And I had no idea who Alexander Mc Call Smith was. Now I know, and I think I’d like to read more of his books.

Tears of the Giraffe is the story of an African lady, Precious Ramotswe, who runs a detective agency called No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana. The book took me completely by surprise. Set in modern day Botswana, written in simple, yet evocative prose, the author paints a hauntingly beautiful picture of modern day Africa. It is a place where some people are slowly losing a sense of their belonging, but there are those, like Mma Ramotswe who are entrenched deeply in the past, who can glean the good things from it, like courteousness, and inherent goodness, while equally embracing the practical aspects of modern life.

The story is about an American lady who arrives at Mma Ramotswe’s agency asking her to find out what happened to her son who disappeared on the edge of the Kalahari, nearly ten years ago. She has a feeling that he has died, but still, she would like to know what exactly happened. She wants closure. That in a sense is what the story is supposed to be, in a nutshell. But there is so much more. With each turn of the page, the image of Mma Ramotswe emerges as a strong, and wise African lady who sees more than what the ordinary person sees. No, not in any supernatural way, but just that she senses a lot more than what there really is on the surface.

I really liked her character a lot. Also, her fiance, the mechanic, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. A cynical part of me wondered if there were such people in the world. Such nice people. Or rather people with such inherent goodness. Maybe there are.

The story is rather straightforward. But what appealed most to me was that it was told with such stark simplicity. Although, at most writing workshops we’re told that we don’t need to use big and fancy words, and I too agree that simple language should suffice. But still, I have read books, feeling uncomfortable when I see the ease with which the writer turns poetic, using words I havent even heard of. I felt reassured when I read Tears of the Giraffe.