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curliesstories's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ginbottle's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Surprisingly easy to read portrait of 1970s Uganda, increasingly brutalised by Idi Amin, its dictator. The narrator is Amin's doctor who, like so many others, 'goes along to get along' while aware of his own moral weakness in the face of Amin's actions and larger than life psychopathic personality.
tlm1964's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
3.0
The premise for this book is irresistible. A foreign doctor tells the story of Uganda under the regime of a dictator — what more can you ask for as a reader? The hook has a bite, sure, but the bite doesn't quite stay because the execution isn't quite there, in my opinion.
First, the positives. I think it is interesting to read about a dictator like Idi Amin in a time when we have Donald Trump as the President of the United States. In many ways, the two are quite similar, and may have been able to hit it off in real life. Both of them are egotistical megalomaniacs with illusions of grandeur; both think that everyone has a love affair with him; both claim that they can make problems go away by 'making phone calls to his friends'; both want to make their countries great again; both love to speak directly to the people (Trump via Twitter, Amin via his underground radio). Of course, Trump isn't a genocidal maniac (yet) and doesn't have a secret dungeon where he tortures people, but the signposts are all the same.
I also think that the characterisation of Idi Amin is done really well in this book. You get why he is equal measures of charm and menace when he speaks to the people, and I like the little quirks that the author sprinkles across Amin's characterisation, to really make him out to be an eccentric lunatic. I think I've gotten to know him way better than the protagonist, even.
Speaking of characterisation, I don't think the author does a good job at portraying the main protagonist as sympathetic. Even though you understand some of his motivations, it almost always feels like he is there because the author needs him to be there to witness the atrocities. Keep in mind that the character is completely fictional, which means that the author was able to move him about Uganda if he needed a perspective there. It just comes across as being a bit convenient.
Also, the structure. For a book about the terror of Idi Amin, he really only appears at the 37% mark (if you disregard the brief introduction in the first chapter). Everything leading up to his appearance feels more like a biography of Uganda. If you are not into the history of the country, then the first section of the book is going to be completely lost on you.
Another structure issue is also the fact that, like the protagonist, the author cannot quite figure out what to do in the last act, so he gets him involved in various real-life conflicts and situations that feel a little deus ex machina for my taste. I think a lot of fat could have been cut out from the last act, because the pacing felt erratic — much like Amin, I guess.
First, the positives. I think it is interesting to read about a dictator like Idi Amin in a time when we have Donald Trump as the President of the United States. In many ways, the two are quite similar, and may have been able to hit it off in real life. Both of them are egotistical megalomaniacs with illusions of grandeur; both think that everyone has a love affair with him; both claim that they can make problems go away by 'making phone calls to his friends'; both want to make their countries great again; both love to speak directly to the people (Trump via Twitter, Amin via his underground radio). Of course, Trump isn't a genocidal maniac (yet) and doesn't have a secret dungeon where he tortures people, but the signposts are all the same.
I also think that the characterisation of Idi Amin is done really well in this book. You get why he is equal measures of charm and menace when he speaks to the people, and I like the little quirks that the author sprinkles across Amin's characterisation, to really make him out to be an eccentric lunatic. I think I've gotten to know him way better than the protagonist, even.
Speaking of characterisation, I don't think the author does a good job at portraying the main protagonist as sympathetic. Even though you understand some of his motivations, it almost always feels like he is there because the author needs him to be there to witness the atrocities. Keep in mind that the character is completely fictional, which means that the author was able to move him about Uganda if he needed a perspective there. It just comes across as being a bit convenient.
Also, the structure. For a book about the terror of Idi Amin, he really only appears at the 37% mark (if you disregard the brief introduction in the first chapter). Everything leading up to his appearance feels more like a biography of Uganda. If you are not into the history of the country, then the first section of the book is going to be completely lost on you.
Another structure issue is also the fact that, like the protagonist, the author cannot quite figure out what to do in the last act, so he gets him involved in various real-life conflicts and situations that feel a little deus ex machina for my taste. I think a lot of fat could have been cut out from the last act, because the pacing felt erratic — much like Amin, I guess.
dhilderbrand's review against another edition
2.0
I guess I hoped for more understanding of Amin and the effects he had on his community. This was much more about a fictional arrogant doctor than anything else.
booksbecreads's review against another edition
2.0
Partly the low rating was because it wasn't what I was expecting after so many years of build up (I only found out when I started that it was fiction) and in part because it focuses entirely too much on Doctor Nicholas unroll about the three quarter mark.
kalkie's review against another edition
3.0
This book is atmospheric and dark, and captures the essence of Uganda and the turmoil at the time. The political backdrop behind Amin's rise to power is interestingly detailed, and Garrigan's relationship with Amin develops over the course of the book. Despite suffering at the hands of Amin, Garrigan still seems unable to break away from the dictator's spell, adding an extra dimension to the novel.
This book did drag a little towards the end, and there were a couple of points in the final downfall of Amin which seemed a little far stretched. But overall this was a good read and one which I would recommend.
This book did drag a little towards the end, and there were a couple of points in the final downfall of Amin which seemed a little far stretched. But overall this was a good read and one which I would recommend.