So Much for Democracy by Kari Jones (review)

It’s 1979, and twelve-year-old Astrid and her family have recently moved from Canada to Ghana, where her father is helping with the upcoming elections and the government’s shift to democracy. Just weeks before the election, there is an attempted coup on the government, and the city of Accra is thrown into turmoil. Astrid, confused by all that is happening and frustrated that no one will tell her what is going on, has her own issues to deal with: her mother is overprotective to the point of hysteria, her younger brother Gordo contracts malaria, and her home is invaded by a soldier who holds the gardener Thomas at gunpoint and steals her mother’s purse. The social backdrop of the story provides an interesting counterpoint to this coming-of-age story; unfortunately, Astrid herself is selfish and unreasonable, making her a less than compassionate protagonist (in the midst of her brother’s raging fever, she asks “How come no one’s thinking about what I need?”). Likewise, Astrid’s mother’s overprotectiveness is overdramatized to the point of caricature, and its resolution is abrupt and ungrounded. The grand draw here is the setting; the sights and sounds of the city are vividly conveyed and the expatriate experience is thoughtfully rendered; the author’s biography suggests that there may be an element of memoir, as she spent some of her teen years in Ghana. An historical note provides detailed information about the political events of the summer of 1979, offering further context for history buffs keen to understand Astrid’s world.