MICHEL THE GIANT: AN AFRICAN IN GREENLAND by Tété-Michel Kpomassie #TuesdayBookBlog

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Birthday present from my sister.

In a Nutshell: Teenage boy in Togo, West Africa, in the 1950s, becomes obsessed with the idea of visiting Greenland after reading an article about it.  Eight years later, he arrives there.  This is the story of his adventure.

What a story!  

This is not a tale of picture book Inuit folk beaming by sledges as they break ice to fish and build igloos; the author discovered that Greenlanders are not the hardworking, innocent people of his imagination, either.

The memoir begins in Africa, showing Kpomassie's life in Togo. He explains his fascination with Greenland and determination to get there.  The first village he visits, Qaqortoq, on the southern coast, is friendly, yes, as the people drift in and out of each other's houses, are always happy to put up a visitor in colourful houses where the coffee pot is always on - but he also details the drunkenness that is as much a part of their life as the cold, and the casual attitude to sex: 'Greenland morality was beginning to disgust me'.  He is disappointed by the lack of adherence to their native culture, which is down to the influence of the Danish, who owned this enormous island at the time.  Since then, there has been a move to reassert their own cultural identity, self-rule has been established, and the country has been slowly moving towards complete independence from Denmark.

Qaqortoq, recent photo

Kpomassie eventually reaches the far north and discovers the hunters, the kayaks - the frozen world of which he'd dreamed.  Everywhere he is shown great hospitality, except in one village in the north where his only option is to stay with the poorest family in disgusting conditions (seriously, don't read it while you're eating).  He is clearly something of a celebrity, due to his colour and height, and I gathered that he's a rather charismatic man; everyone appears to like him, and he is very popular with the ladies.  In the far north, wife-swapping is a recreational activity, with public 'dances' especially for this purpose.

I love that he finally reached the far, far north, and played a full part in the lives of the people he met, hunting and fishing.

This is an honest, graphic and often funny account, as much about the day-today social life and people as a descriptive journal about the landscape and culture - it's not a pretty travelogue type of memoir at all.  Greenland is somewhere I've often wanted to visit; now, not so much.  Highly recommended to anyone who loves this sort of story - unputdownable!

Article about Kpomassie, now 80 years old, HERE

THE NORTH WATER by Ian McGuire

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: I read a review of it on Evie Gaughan's blog.  Arctic wastes, hardship on a sea voyage, history, murder ~ I had to have it!  Longlisted for the Booker prize.

The North Water starts out as shocking, stark and not-for-the-faint-of-heart as it continues, with the introduction of psychopath Henry Drax in mid 19th Century Hull, waiting to board a whaling boat bound for Greenland.  Once on board, we soon become aware that Captain Brownlee and first mate Cavendish have more in mind than the usual expedition; the whaling industry is in decline, and they are looking for other ways to make money.  Enter the main character: opium addicted ship surgeon Sumner, who has fallen on hard times.

There is no doubt that the author has researched every aspect of 19th century whaling, and this book was fascinating in its detail and disturbingly real in its atmosphere.  The characters become three dimensional as soon as they open their mouths, and the underlying suspense made this novel one I would have read all in one go if I'd been able to.  A cabin boy is abused, murders take place, ill fate befalls the mariners, and many are left stranded... the plot is terrific.

Although I adored most of this book, I was slightly let down by the last 10%, which, although a well written and a suitable ending, was not as suspense-filled as the rest, and I felt a couple of elements went unanswered.  My only other complaint is that, whereas I do like gritty, gory realism, I could have done with a few less depictions of bodily odours/excretions.  But I still loved it, and would still recommend it most fervently, as long as you're not put off by graphic descriptions as mentioned in the previous sentence.