THE WITCH DOCTOR'S WIFE

THE WITCH DOCTOR’S WIFE
Author: Tamar Myers
Copyright: 2009
Avon Paperbacks
Harper Collins Publisher
Trade paperback
ISBN: 978-0-06-172783-2
$13.99 310 pages
Fiction/Congo(Democratic Republic)

Amanda Brown is literally immersed into the African culture of 1958 when she agrees to fill in for a missionary couple. How demanding can it be for a few months?

To begin with the housekeeper who is male, Protruding Navel, has an extremely judgmental attitude of his expectations for Amanda. Added to that, Amanda decides to hire a local as her assistant basically to irritate Protruding Navel. This woman, Cripple, who is the local witch doctor’s first wife, understands human nature and who comfortably unsettles Protruding Navel.

Amanda’s experiences and relationships are interwoven into the problems of the times with the mining of diamonds when the witch doctor’s second wife’s youngest son is found chewing on a diamond. This particular gem is possibly the largest diamond to be found. Being that Belgium has the rights to all diamonds, the witch doctor asks for helps from others with more power with the local government in trying to profit for his family. This immediately thrusts everyone into a series of lies and dishonesty that does not always benefit everyone involved. Also the differences between the natives and the white Belgium citizens intensify as each one attempts to profit personally and to cheat others.

Having a childhood as the daughter of missionary parents in the Belgian Congo gives Tamar Myers the expertise to use her experiences and to turn them into a story. The personal voice of the author is unquestionably the strength of this novel. The story is well-paced, complicated, interlocking, and believable with characters that are realistic and having a lovable heroine. Also, the author’s knowledge of the time, the place, the lifestyle, the people, and the cultures literally permeate each page. This novel is based on her experiences and life whether tragic or humorous and her memories value the native culture and the people of this time period.

The story in places reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver’s POISONWOOD BIBLE due to the common setting of Africa and the experiences from missionaries. Having read Tamar Myers’ other books, I found THE WITCH DOCTOR’S WIFE to excel and stand out as much superior to her already enjoyable mysteries.

This is one of those books that impact your thoughts after you finish reading it. The ending is memorable and is one that I will personally remember because of the characters’ actions and being unpredictable. It’s the kind of ending that all of us would love to witness in real life.

Tamar Myers actually was raised in the Belgian Congo by her missionary parents and experienced the tribal customs of the 1950s. She is the author of thirty-six novels and resides in the Carolinas.

Teri Davis December 27, 2009