Veronique Tadjo

This was an interesting read about the Ebola epidemic that ravaged West Africa in 2013-2016. The author was born in France, the daughter of an Ivorian civil servant and a French artist, brought up in Côte d’Ivoire, and has lived in many places in Africa. The deadly outbreak began in Guinea, spread to Liberia, and then to Sierra Leone two months later. There were officially 28,646 suspected cases recorded with a final death toll of 11,323 and a case fatality of 40%, although these numbers were probably significantly higher in reality.

The story begins with two young boys hunting in the forest who catch and eat a bat, and die shortly afterwards. Tadjo uses multiple perspectives to tell her story, that of a grave-digger, a dedicated nurse, an exhausted doctor, a grieving mother. She even uses the perspective of the majestic baobab tree, the voice of the virus itself and the bat its host. The tale is engrossing, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the hardships of isolation, the toll on families and the difficulties enforcing the behavioural shifts needed to beat the rampant spread of disease. There are also comments on foreign aid and systemic issues within the medical system. I found this a short but powerful read.… (more)