AFTER KILIMANJARO
BY GAYLE WOODSON ‧ RELEASE DATE: OCT. 8, 2019
A physician from Philadelphia experiences a new life in Africa in Woodson’s novel.
Young doctor Sarah Whitaker is as naïve about love as she is idealistic about medicine. She’s engaged to a physician named David, who’s the only boyfriend she’s ever had. In their nearly six years together, he’s often been the decision-maker in the relationship. They prepare to go to Africa so that David can work on a malaria vaccine project, but then the funding evaporates. “We’ll just have to wait to go to Africa…someday when we’re rich doctors,” he says. That triggers hidden mettle in Sarah, who decides to go overseas now—with or without him. She’s already accepted a scholarship to research maternal mortality in childbirth, a scourge in sub-Saharan Africa, and she feels duty-bound to keep her word. When she gets there, she begins to wonder whether her shifting feelings about David provided the real motivation for her to go.
The vivid portrayals of the African landscape read like a travelogue, and the operating scenes are graphically realistic (Woodson is a throat surgeon). As one point, a disfigured patient is described as “a Picasso portrait—as if some tectonic rift had shifted the halves of her face.” Sarah delivers babies under conditions that would rattle a very experienced obstetrician, which she is not; she also encounters a black mamba, which is described as the deadliest snake in Africa, and she even contracts red-eye fever. She also connects with Pieter Meijer, a Dutch anesthesiologist, who causes her to question her devotion to David. Not until the final pages does the word “after” in the book’s title make sense: It’s less about Sarah’s time in Africa than about who she’s become after she leaves.
An engagingly written story of a woman’s transformation that’s begging for a sequel.
AFTER KILIMANJARO
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
After Kilimanjaro: A Novel by Gayle Woodson has a strong appeal for fans of women’s fiction and adventure. Dr. Sarah Whitaker knows she needs a break. She’s been burned out from work. So, when David, the man who has been central in her life for nearly six years, tells her that he wants to climb Kilimanjaro, she agrees that they can use the grant to work on a malaria vaccine and spend a whole year in Africa. But David backs out, leaving Sarah alone on the plan. She continues on the adventure to Africa where she falls in love with Tanzania. Follow her as she faces new challenges, gets into life-and-death situations, and build new friendships. Can she muster the courage to leave this place with its kind people behind and will her life ever be the same again?
This is an interesting story with wonderful characters. I had the feeling that the novel is well-researched, with beautiful locales and an Africa that readers will want to discover. The setting is impeccable and descriptions from the Kilimanjaro International Airport to the details in the environment and rare finds like Tanzanite — the precious stone rarer than diamonds — are colorful and filled with imagery. Character development is wonderful and I enjoyed how characters like Sam help bring out the different layers of the personality of the protagonist. Gayle Woodson writes in prose that is fluid and captivating and fills the writing with exciting dialogues, right from the moment the reader encounters the protagonist in the aircraft to the very last page. After Kilimanjaro: A Novel has a lot of drama and emotionally charged scenes that make for a great read.”
You can learn more about Gayle Woodson and “After Kilimanjaro” at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/after-kilimanjaro where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.
AFTER KILIMANJARO
By Gayle Woodson.
Ebook
Oct. 2019. 350p. She Writes, paper, $16.95 (9781631526602); She Writes, e-book, $9.95 (9781631526619).
REVIEW. First published September 15, 2019 (Booklist).
Dr. Sarah Whitaker, a surgical resident, travels to Tanzania to spend a year working for a nonprofit focused on preventing maternal mortality. The trip was intended to include her fiancé, David, but when the funding for his malaria research falls through, Sarah makes the journey to a doctors’ compound at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro solo. Her adjustment to the new place is eased by Dr. Margo Ledama, a fellow surgeon-in-training, and Dr. Pieter Meijer, an anesthesiologist. Friendships quickly form, and as Sarah becomes more confident in her surgical abilities, her perspective on her future changes, leaving her unsure of her relationship with David—complicated by her growing attraction to Pieter. Woodson deftly balances Sarah’s story of self-discovery with medical drama, interspersing individual patients’ stories into the larger narrative. The characters are well-developed, and the medical cases are fascinating to read, especially when the stakes are high. Medical fiction of this kind is rare—it’s not a thriller or a tearjerker, but a thoughtful novel about doctors, the work they do, and the impact this work has on their patients and the communities they serve.
— Nanette Donohue
AFTER KILIMANJARO
Gayle Woodson
She Writes Press
https://shewritespress.com
9781631526602, $16.95, October 8, 2019
After Kilimanjaro is Gayle Woodson’s debut novel, and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Her descriptions are so accurate I sensed we’d stood in one another’s footsteps in parts of the Serengeti. Like Woodson, I am a physician, so I can attest to the accuracy of the medical aspects. I can also assure readers of the accuracy of the medical problems that threaten to overwhelm the medical structure of Tanzania such as poor prenatal care, female genital mutilation, HIV, malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), and malnutrition. She blends these medical aspects seamlessly into her novel along with a slow-burn romance.
The protagonist, a young female physician, accepts a one-year research position in Tanzania but finds herself far more involved with the medical than the research aspects. Also unexpected is her interest, despite being engaged to a physician in Philadelphia, in a Dutch physician also working in Tanzania. Woodson fully develops even her minor characters, and this book is a joy to read.
Being a full-time surgeon is taking a toll on Dr. Sarah Whitaker’s mental health. When her fiancé David suggests taking a year-long break in Africa and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro together, she is more than up for it. Sarah readily agrees with the idea, looking forward to a positive change in her life. Even when David cannot accompany Sarah, she is determined to go on this journey alone. Reaching Tanzania, she falls in love with the culture, the heartwarming people, and stunning natural beauty. She gets more than she had hoped for as she makes friends with brave and strong African women. She learns about the excessive gap in healthcare for women and the pervasive female genital mutilation. Determined to make a change, she begins a training program to teach tribal birth attendants safer medical practices. Sarah’s life has taken a revolutionary turn, after which her life may never be the same.
After Kilimanjaro: A Novel is a descriptive story filled with compelling imagery about Tanzania, the African people, their health practices, and how they differ from the West. Gayle Woodson explores romantic relationships throughout the book with subtlety, with one of the most beautiful African countries serving as the backdrop. Sarah is a strong woman who perseveres in the remote village during her training program where conditions are tough, but her determination to improve the quality of life of the women is forever present.
Gayle Woodson has written the medical aspects of the book in great depth and precision, owing to her medical background. Poor health conditions pertaining to prenatal care, female genital mutilation, HIV, malaria, and malnutrition are what Dr. Sarah hopes to work for in this story. It is a captivating and beautiful tale that can entrance anyone looking for an immersive travel adventure with vibrant imagery and great storytelling. It is a hypnotic tale that will instantly transport any reader to the lush beauty of Africa and allow them to explore the humanity of the deftly crafted characters.
REVIEWED BY CHRISTIAN FERNANDEZ
Review Date: October 28, 2021
Category: Fiction – Womens