White Dog Fell From The Sky

Description

Incredibly moving and beautifully drawn, White Dog Fell From the Sky by Eleanor Morse is an intimate portrait of Africa. Botswana, 1976. Isaac Muthethe thinks that he is dead. Forced to flee his country after witnessing a friend murdered by white members of the South African Defense Force, he finds himself, for the first time, in a country without apartheid. Smuggled across the border from South Africa in a hearse, buried in a coffin, he awakens covered in dust, staring at blue sky and the face of White Dog. Walking along the road into Gaborone, Botswana's capital, White Dog following close behind, a chance encounter with an old school acquaintance changes the course of Isaac's life - as does the job he finds as gardener for a young American woman, Alice Mendelssohn, who has abandoned her Ph.D. studies in order to follow her husband to Africa. But when Isaac goes missing and Alice goes searching for him, what she finds out will change her life and inextricably bind her to this sunburned, beautiful land. "Eleanor Morse captures the magic of the African landscape and the terror and degradation of life under apartheid in White Dog Fell from the Sky ...tense and heartfelt". (O, The Oprah Magazine). "Magic, friendship, the tragedy of apartheid and the triumph of loyalty are recounted in poetic, powerful prose by this unconventional and intelligent writer. Shattering and uplifting". (Kuki Gallmann, author of I Dreamed of Africa). "Morse's writing is lyrical and quite beautiful, with searing descriptions of the dusty earth, unforgiving sun, and stark skies". (Entertainment Weekly). Eleanor Morse has taught in adult education programs, in prisons, and in university systems, both in Maine and in southern Africa. She currently works as an adjunct faculty member with Spalding University's MFA Writing program in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives on Peaks Island, Maine.

Reviews

Eleanor Morse captures the magic of the African landscape and the terror and degradation of life under apartheid in White Dog Fell from the Sky ... tense and heartfelt O Magazine Magic, friendship, the tragedy of apartheid and the triumph of loyalty are recounted in poetic, powerful prose by this unconventional and intelligent writer. Shattering and uplifting -- Kuki Gallmann, Author Of I Dreamed Of Africa There are not enough adjectives to describe the strength of this story ... Eleanor Morse's story is emotionally riveting, heartbreaking, and at times unbearable, while simultaneously embracing hope, insight, and a sense of perpetual mystery ... Each sentence is more beautiful than the last NY Journal Exceptional ... Morse writes with passion and lyricism as she conveys hope and resilience in the face of terror Metro Morse's third novel ... weaves together Isaac and Alice's stories in strikingly vivid scenes laced with lyrical language. Her sentences are short, flashing with colour, choked by dry dust, made tense by thunder and slaked by long-awaited rain ... This is a portrait of longing that speaks less about the state of Africa and more about moral and political blindness, grief and courage Sunday Express She's not a showy writer, beckoning the reader into her world through character and incident rather than ambitious descriptive passages. Unflinchingly frank about the horrors of South Africa under apartheid ... a novel with at least one love story at its heart, balancing cruelty and tenderness The Herald

Author description

Eleanor Morse has taught in adult education programs, in prisons, and in university systems, both in Maine and in southern Africa. She currently works as an adjunct faculty member with Spalding University's MFA Writing program in Lousiville, Kentucky. She lives on Peaks Island, Maine.