Sankofa by Chibundu Unuzo

What’s it about?

Anna Bain is a middle aged,  recently separated, Londoner when she finds her father’s diary.  Her mother has just passed away and she is cleaning out her house when she stumbles upon it.  It is the first solid information she has ever known about who her father is.  She determines that she will travel to his small African country to learn more about him.

What did it make me think about?

Legacies- those of the powerful and the legacies of those who raise you.

Should I read it?

How often do you pick up a book and unknowingly have a certain expectation?  If I am honest, it happens too frequently.  This book was not what I expected and so my interest in Anna Bain and her journey grew.  The story was so easy to read and the plot moved forward in unexpected ways. I think almost all readers would enjoy this book.

Quote-

“Aunt Caryl wasn’t in the common area where residents were arranged in armchairs like potted plants- the closer to the TV the more alert.  Each step away from “Homes Under the Hammer” was a shade deeper into senility. On good days, Aunt Caryl was in hearing distance of the television.  On bad days, she was by the door.  On terrible days, she was in her room.”