Leaving Before the Rains Come

A wild, ecstatic craziness fueled by booze is better than boredom, hands down. Alexandra Fuller shares her parents’ mantra again; they live as complex leftover colonials in southeastern Africa, braving the consequences of their adventurous forebears. Despite the apparent permanence of her exotic lifestyle described in Let’s Not Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra (a.k.a. Bobo) ventures into marriage and Wyoming without a backward glance. Each chapter swings back and forth deftly between past and present: her teetering American marriage and the tragi-comedy of her parents’ life, their resilience at outlasting family tragedies, business losses, and the violence accompanying the country’s independence.

The book reaches deep levels beside the alternating scenery as Bobo reveals more of herself, but without today’s self-centered introspection. She doubts an ability to handle American life while trying to overcome the homesickness she hadn’t anticipated. There is so much humor, so many delicious anecdotes, and so much admiration for Charlie, who almost literally swept her off her feet and whisked her to America.

But, then comes a horrendous accident and the mood changes with the conflicts between love, holding on, leaving, and hoping. Even though the year is young, Leaving Before the Rains Come deserves highest praise.