Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town

[hang1column element=”div” width=”122″][/hang1column]

[Book Review] Crotchety old Theroux is at the top of his game in Dark Star Safari – his acerbic comments on NGOs and aid workers are alone worth the price of admission.

At the heart of the story is Theroux’s return to Africa, specifically Malawi, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s. His previous experience makes his comments on current aid workers, and the state of Africa then and now, especially pointed and poignant.

Not just Malawi, the book covers Africa north to south, from Egypt to South Africa, with all manner of travel in between. Armchair travelers of the, “I was moved to the utter core of my soul by the inner beauty and simple customs of the entrancing natives” crowd will not like this book, or Theroux. More experienced expats however, should find much to like.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.