Very odd, Facebook Memories indicates that I reviewed this book. However the review seems to have disappeared from this site. I recall having enjoyed the descriptions of the customs of various tribes.

I didn’t really like this book. I thought the plot was hard to follow. I think this book would have been better if it focused more on the white child and her life instead of incorporating a mystery into the plot. I am sure others would disagree with me. I am just not the right audience for this book. ( )

I got this book as part of the ER program and just forgot to review it.

I think I would have related more to the story if I had read the first book, since this turned out to be the second in the series. I found the plot hard to keep up with at times, but everything did move along quickly. Overall, I had a hard time sticking with this one and it was quickly forgotten. ( )

I received this book as part of the ER program. However, I never would have requested it if I had realized that it was actually the second book in a series, something that the ER description doesn't mention. To be fair, this book does work as a stand alone novel, but there are a few allusions to the previous book and the entire time I was reading I just had the feeling that I was missing something. This is a mystery set in the 1950s Belgian Congo, and it does provide an interesting look at the juxtaposition of the native and missionary cultures. Overall though, the story was not that compelling and I didn't feel the need to seek out other books in the series. ( )

In a kidnapping plot gone wrong, a white infant is abandoned in a deserted area of the Belgian Congo, where she is discovered by a young boy of the Bashilele tribe. Not knowing what else to do, the boy takes the baby home. The boys' parents adopt her and raise her as a member of their tribe. Thirteen years later, missionary Amanda Brown accompanies the local police chief to find the white girl rumored to live among the Bashilele, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to tragedy.

Issues of race and culture are at the heart of this story. The white population of the Belgian Congo, whether Catholic or Protestant, Belgian or American, see only the girl's white skin. They don't think it's suitable for a white girl to live as an African – never mind that the European culture is completely foreign to her and she can't speak any of its languages. In addition to the racial and cultural tensions between the black and white communities, there are tensions between cultural groups within each community. The Americans don't completely trust the Belgians, and the Flemish Belgians and Walloon Belgians are wary of each other. Amanda's head housekeeper, Protruding Navel, and his assistant, Cripple, are of different tribes that despise each other, but are united in their dislike of the Bashilele. With independence looming in the not-too-distant future, there are hints that things are going to become a lot worse.

The humor in the novel frequently made me uncomfortable. It's the kind of humor that comes at others' expense, far different from the affectionate humor of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels. Amanda is the kindest of the characters, yet even she is often motivated by self-interest rather than a desire to help others. It's an interesting place and time to read about, but it's not somewhere I want to linger. ( )