The Last King of Scotland - Giles Foden

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, extremely well written. The movie, which I saw before reading the book, a few years ago, probably put me off reading the book. I find it difficult to imagine authenticity when black American actors pretend to be African. I respect Forest Whitaker's work, but I didn't buy his portrayal of Idi Amin. It's tough. For that matter, Denzel Washington's portrayal of Steve Biko was adequate, not earth shattering, so was Danny Glover in Bopha! and Whoppi Goldberg in Sarafina. All good, not anything special. On the other hand, South African Henry Cele did a fantastic job as Shaka in William C. Faure's mini series, Shaka Zulu. Henry did such a good job that his face is embedded in my memory when I think of Shaka! Yaphet Kotto, an American, would have done a good Idi Amin. James Earl Jones wouldn't.

But Giles Fodden's novel is a remarkable piece of writing. I read this book in a couple of days, stealing time from other things, because I couldn't put it down. It wasn't only because of the vivid scenes of constant danger that made the book exciting, but Giles Fodden really knows how to tell a story. This is a good story and told really well.

It's a book of fiction and we're introduced to the main character immediately, their reasons for leaving Scotland and going to Africa to work as a doctor. It isn't something I'd do, but having grown up in Kenya where there are so many expatriates, it's easy to relate to the British desire to come to Africa. Giles quickly moves into descriptions of life in Africa during Uganda's early post colonial days. Through the eyes and mind of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, we observe how Ugandans think, what the country looks like, the language, the food they eat, the conditions of the roads, the soldiers that are ever present with their AK-47's, the congestion in the country buses, the poverty in the villages, the lack of medicine, the dangers lurking in the countryside. All of this we're told in amazing detail to get a sense of the primitive nature of medicine, the lack of resources and the resourcefulness of the people. Some of the diseases are quite nasty and seemingly hopeless, yet the doctors soldier on, one patient at a time.

What's amazing about this story is how quickly we're led into Idi Amin's world. The mind of the man and how he operates, no different from many leaders. He takes Garrigan into his confidence as his personal physician and though Garrigan has mixed feelings about being in the employ of Amin, he goes along. Even when he sees that it isn't in his best interest, he continues to work with Amin.

One wonders why he didn't escape. After all, as we read the book, we can see disaster waiting to happen. It's almost as though Nicholas Garrigan cannot read the writing on the wall, or fails to believe that there's any writing at all, there's no wall as far as he's concerned. At one point, some employees of foreign missions ask him to poison Amin. Of course, this is the one place where I think he did a good job in disagreeing to do so. If he were caught, it would have meant certain death.

Giles Fodden does an excellent job as a story teller. He kept me turning pages and didn't let me get bored. When it came time for Nick to have some romance, he quickly walked me through it. I would have loved a different ending to the failed romance between Nick and the American Ambassador's wife, but hey, you can't have it all. And Sara's disappearance left me feeling empty. I like Nick, I wanted him to have it all. A happy ending. In a way, finding a home back in Scotland, where he could sit back, reflect and write his story was a happy ending in itself. He escaped with his life, even though he didn't get to become something, or someone greater.