The Memory of Love

By: Aminatta Forna

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

The Telegraph (UK) calls Aminatta Forna’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize-winning tale an “affecting, passionate and intelligent novel about the redemptive power of love and storytelling.” In the aftermath of Sierra Leone’s 1990s civil war, British psychologist Adrian Lockheart comes to work at the Freetown hospital. There he meets a dying elderly patient who confesses to Adrian his past crimes of passion and betrayal.

©2010 Aminatta Forna (P)2011 W.F. Howes Ltd.

Critic reviews

“… stunning and powerful …” ( Booklist)

Rich storytelling

My son was to travel to Sierra Leone and so I sought out an author from this country to learn more. I had the great fortune to pick this novel which encompasses a big story told through the many characters and narrated so beautifully. I loved it. So rich.

interwoven lines

An intriguing...beguiling and endlessly rich narative ...
Three stories cross in a point in time in post war sierra leone....
with a unique twist and a compelling protaganist. Unexpected but compelling.

Choices....made long ago...ripple through the years.

powerful characters and story

ok, so there are a couple of soap opera twists, but they don't take away from the drama and excellent storytelling.

A worthy contribution to modern African Literature

Beautifully written & extremely well read, West African & British accents were lovely, the vivid account of the clash of cultures and sub cultures masterfully woven into a story that gathered momentum as it progressed. Thoroughly enjoyed it

worth your attention for various reasons

I noticed partway through that for once, there was nothing annoying about the reader. Most of the time, the voice, the person's attempts at accents or different people's voices, personal style - the reader can ruin a book for me. This is the first time that I didn't find myself immediately irritated and distracted from the book by the person reading. I'm not sure all the accents were perfect -- perhaps it was my unfamiliarity with these particular accents that allowed me to accept them, and there are many. The story itself is interesting and perhaps a bit predictable and dramatic at times, with crucial pieces deliberately left out or delayed. By the end of the book this bothered me a little, but overall, this is one of the best books I've listened to.