There comes a time for most of us when we knowingly face a decision of
such consequence that it will drastically affect the shape of our lives.
Some people are prepared to carry the weight of that decision. David
Lyons, the protagonist of Gallery Bundu, was not.
In Paul Stoller's work of fiction framed by African storytelling, David
is the 52-year-old co-owner of Gallery Bundu, an African art shop in New
York City. As a young man in the late 1960s, he joined the Peace Corps
to avoid the draft. Assigned to teach English in Niger, he was eager to
seek out adventure, and he found it--from drugged-out American
expatriates and mamba-filled forests to seductive African women. In the
course of his stay in Niger, David meets and falls in love with
Zeinabou, a strikingly beautiful woman who professes her love to him,
though David believes that he is not the only man she dates. Two weeks
before his anticipated return to the United States, Zeinabou informs
David that she is pregnant with what she believes is his child. Not
knowing how to react, David flees Niger and returns to America ridden
with guilt. The hastiness of David's decision will shadow his every move
for the rest of his life and will lead him to eventually return to Niger
and try to make amends.
Beautifully written and deeply felt, Gallery Bundu is a cautionary
tale about the impulses of youth and the unyielding grip of regret.
Stoller's vivid language and style allow readers, through David's
recollections, to touch, taste, and smell the sensations of West
Africa--the tasty aroma of a traditional African fish stew, the
spectacle of witches, and the humorous and often frightening experiences
of traveling in the bush. A lyrical novel of decisions and destiny,
Gallery Bundu is rich in character and detail, bringing anthropology
to a new literary height.
