The story is centered on the author’s own experiences, and how he came to be in Africa. He escaped the Gulf War, which left him with traumatic brain injuries. For a while, he was even paralysed, but thanks to the loving support of his family, he was able to start to function again. Today, he’s leading a very busy life, supporting his wife and two children as well as keeping track of his own business – but all that changes when he gets a visit from a Canadian tourist, Alice, who tells him she wants to meet some people in Africa.
Now David must find out what he’s supposed to do to convince her to accompany him, but he’s not sure what to expect – so he spends the next few days preparing himself for a wild and exciting trip through a new and strange landscape. Along the way, he meets up with other like-minded travellers, each with their own tale to tell. The novel is also laced with adventure, and David Shannon manages to make even a dull situation into something interesting thanks to his writing style.
In this latest novel, we get to follow David as he makes his way through Africa, and it’s clear from the beginning that his aim is not just to reach the next town over, but to continue on towards Paris and London as well. This is obviously necessary because Africa is such a faraway place, and the time lapse between continents could easily make the journey boring. However, despite the distance, this doesn’t mean that the story ends there. We still find David getting more into his business, travelling more places, meeting more people and discovering more about himself.
It’s also apparent from the start that David’s story has an African context. Despite the fact that he’s a white man living in England, we know all about Africa and the continent’s history. We see the reasons for colonisation, and we get glimpses of how life was once living. There’s no doubt that this book would have been better without this extra layer of information, but it also helps to flesh out the characters. It helps to give a fuller picture of what’s going on in the main story.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book is that there isn’t a lot of violence, sadistic or otherwise. It’s also written in first-person perspective. So you don’t feel like your viewpoint is being displaced or unrealised. You also don’t feel that the author’s views are clouded by other interests. It’s refreshing to read a book written from the narrator’s point of view. Paradise Found is also a very good read for those who like historical fiction (and indeed this novel is set in Africa, so it owes something to the world of historical fiction).
It might not be right for everybody, but it’s an interesting and engaging read. For people looking for a light-hearted story about the British Empire in Africa, it could be a good addition to your reading list. Paradise Found is available on Amazon. It’s a very quick read, but a satisfying one. It would make a good primer course for those who want to learn more about their early years in Africa.
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