The Lioness, by Chris Bohjalian (2022)
This novel takes place in 1964 in East Africa, at a time when there was considerable violence in the continent. Kate Barstow, a wealthy A-list Hollywood actress had just married David Hill, a struggling art gallery owner. They were on a safari honeymoon in the Serengeti along with several of their closest friends.
David’s gallery isn’t doing well, and he is well aware that his wife is the main breadwinner. After all, she is funding the trip for everyon ethe safari. David’s father also holds some ambiguous position with the CIA, which adds to the political intrigue.
Kate’s inner circle, who are on the safari include her brother and sister-in-law, her best friend (a minor Hollywood actress) and her husband, Kate’s publicist, her agent and another fellow actor. Their local guide is a big game hunter, who had to change is focus from clients who were more interested in shooting animals to clients more interested in shooting photographs.
While there were political uprisings in the Congo, the safari party has been assured that they will be perfectly safe in East Africa. Unaware that there are political rumblings throughout the continent, the party seems oblivious to their surroundings. They are luxuriating in the extreme pampering they are experiencing on their safari.
After enjoying a few spectacular days on the safari, in which the African porters tend to the company’s every need, things take a drastic turn. Suddenly, they are caught in a kidnapping gone wrong. Russian mercenaries burst upon their camp and separate the American tourists into smaller groups. Immediately, one of their guards is shot and killed.
The novel goes back and forth between the events unwrapping in the kidnapping, and the events leading up to the trip. The reader gets to know the background stories behind each tourist. Before embarking on the trip, they knew of the potential dangers in the African plains but believed themselves to be in capable hands.
What is the motive of the kidnapping? Is it money? Who is behind the kidnapping? Who has the most to gain? What is the importance of David’s father?
We know from the first page, that very few of the party will survive, we just don't know who. While I enjoyed most of the book, the ending left me wanting. Why did one of the captors confess to the rationale of the kidnapping? This was done in a manner that didn’t fit with the rest of the novel.
I find that this author often wraps up in novels quickly in a way that doesn’t fit with the rest of the book.
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