The Catastrophist by Ronan Bennett: book review

Irishman, James Gillespie, travels from his home in London to the Congo to follow his lover, Ines Sabiani, an Italian political journalist.

He is chasing her; she is chasing political news.

The Catastrophist (1999) is about the way they see the world; their passions and their loves. James views his life as a story of failure.

It is 1959 in Leopoldville, Belgium Congo, west Africa. It is the time of the rising independence of the Congolese from the Belgiums; a time of violence and dissent. James finds the politics uninteresting; he is only there to save his relationship with Ines.

He comes to realize that Ines is more passionate about her work and the freedom of the people of Congo than about him. They have been together for two years in London, where everything was perfect. It was far from perfect in Leopoldville for James.

James wants commitment, longevity and marriage. Ines wants none of this and leaves James for Auguste, a younger Congolese man. Even when James defies death to rescue Ines and her new lover from the bloody conflict of angry dissidents, it fails to rekindle their love.

James eventually leaves the Congo for a calmer life of writing novels in Italy.

It is a compelling, interesting, emotional read as James lays bare his feelings of love and hate.

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