The Lady from Botswana

I finished The Number One Ladies Detective Agency yesterday and immediately reserved the sequel, Tears of the Giraffe, from the library.

Number One is a remarkable book. More a series of short stories and impressionistic interludes, loosely strung together, than the kind of 'detective novel' you might expect from Christie, Chandler or Highsmith.

The central character is Mma Ramotswe, Mma being a polite form of address to a lady of marriageable years (the masculine equivalent is Rra). Following the death of her father, she sells her large bovine inheritance and sets up as a private detective, the first and only in Botswana. Various cases follow but they only serve to illustrate the perspicacity and humanity of our heroine, who loves to sit and talk about her beloved country, its progress, its traditions and its weaknesses, mainly caused by men, so chauvinist, so unfaithful, so venal.

Botswana is made to seem like an easy-going place, democratic (with a little harmless corruption) and enlightened (apart from a little backwoods witchcraft). It's got a touch of To Kill a Mockingbird about it. I'm not sure why that popped into my head, but I'll leave it in here and trust to my instincts.

The author, Alexander McCall Smith, now a professor in Scotland, I believe, lived in and obviously loves Africa. His depiction of Botswana is gentle, humorous and indulgent. His style is simple and elegant, intelligent, wise and wry. I recommend him.