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Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna: book review





Ancestor Stones (2016) is set in west Africa, in Sierra Leone, from 1926 to 2003, representing three generations of one family.

Abie Kholifa, living in London, receives a letter from her cousin – the first letter in 10 years – informing her that her wealthy grandfather’s coffee plantation is hers, if she wants it. To meet her at the Rofathane (‘Oasis’) plantation are her four aunts: Asana, Mariama, Hawa, and Serah – four daughters from four different wives of her grandfather Gibril Kholifa.

The novel is a family history, based on the lives of Abie’s four aunts, her parents, and her grandmother Saffie, the 10th wife of grandfather Gibril: ‘A tenth wife has no status…But sometimes it is the lowliest people who have the most courage – because they’re the ones with the least to lose.’

Aminatta Forna describes her grandmother’s relationship with her grandfather’s other wives, her mother, and the different paths the women have taken in her family.

The novel is beautifully crafted, written, and structured. Abie starts and ends the story, writing in 2003. In between are the stories of the four aunts under four sections: Seeds, Dreams, Secrets, and Consequences. Within each of these themes, are the voices of the four aunts, following specific years. 

For example, Asana’s story is told in 1926 (Seeds), 1941 (Dreams), 1985 (Secrets), and 1998 (Consequences). Mariana’s story is told in 1931, 1942, 1970, and 1999. Hawa’s timeline is 1939, 1955, 1965, and 1991, while Serah’s story is told in 1950, 1956, 1978, and 1996.

The novel shows the strength of the four aunts and how each one has shaped their own destiny. 

On my first read of the book, I found it often fragmented, being forgetful about which aunt and which timeline was in discussion. On my second read, I followed each of the aunt’s tale chronologically – which provided a better understanding of their hopes and desires, their influencers for change, and the consequences of their decisions – and how this has an impact on Abie. 

No matter how the novel is read, it is engaging, interesting, compelling, and revealing. I thoroughly enjoyed the intelligent storyline, character development, and themes, as well as the evolving lives of four very different women with a singular heritage. 







MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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