Book review: Patchwork – Ellen Banda-Aaku

Written by Tendai Maidza
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 16:55

Ellen Banda-Aaku’s book Patchwork, which won the 2010 Penguin African Writing prize, tells a uniquely African coming-of-age story through memorable and universally relatable characters.

The book is written in two parts – nine-year-old Pumpkin’s experiences in the first part and then 30-something-year-old Pumpkin’s life in the second. The two parts tie together cleverly because one feels as though the life described in part two is the logical fruition of the seeds sown in the first part.

In the first half of her offering Banda-Aaku uses the setting of Pumpkin’s early life to raise serious issues without allowing them to distract from the story. The events are often shocking, but, told in a young girl’s voice, they do not take on any additional significance – they merely become part of the complex journey of growing up. Despite all that Pumpkin observes and learns about her father and his imperfections, she continues the live in awe of this fatally flawed man while deeply distrusting the other male figure in her life, her husband.

The book explores the complexity of relationships and the impact the actions of those we love have on our lives. Banda-Aaku’s ability to maintain Pumpkin’s voice from childhood into adulthood makes the book a seamless observation of a life journey that draws you in and makes you feel connected to the characters.

Question and Answer for Ellen Banda-Aaku

Your work has been described as an “African story”. Do you agree, or do you perceive it to be a story that any woman, regardless of location, can relate to?
It is an African story in that it is set in Africa. It is also told from an African perspective, and the characters are all African. However, it is a human story before it is African because it is about human beings – and that makes it universal.

What made you take the leap from children’s books to adult literature?
The decision to write a book for adults was not intentional. I started the manuscript of Patchwork as a book for young teens. One day I read an excerpt of it to my class mates in the master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Cape Town, and they all said it had an adult tone, so I changed it to an adult novel. My intention is to continue writing for children though.

You never fully elaborate on Grandma Ponga and Tata’s relationship… What really happened with them?
From the onset, I had no intention of going into where and when Grandma Ponga and Tata’s paths first crossed, so I think for this reason I never sat down and thought about what transpired between them. Now I think of it, I believe that I was so focused on telling the story from Pumpkin’s perspective that I didn’t dwell on anything she did not or could not possibly know about. I know it sounds strange, but it’s like I was in the character of Pumpkin to the extent that what she didn’t know, I didn’t know. So to be very honest, I really don’t know what happened between Tata and Grandma Ponga.

The book touches on a number of very serious issues but never really addresses them in too much depth. Why did you decide to approach the book in this way?
I honestly believe that by mentioning certain issues, however briefly or superficially, I am addressing them. Sometimes one says more by saying less. I think to have gone very deeply into the issues raised in Patchwork would be to tell another story. Pumpkin’s life (like most lives) raises more questions than answers, and many issues in her life remain unresolved. Such is the reality of life.

Her father’s philandering ways and complicated relationships with women led to Pumpkin becoming quite mistrustful of men in general. So why does she never stop idolising her father?
I don’t think Pumpkin realises that she has issues and that the issues are a result of her father’s actions. I would imagine that it is very hard to stop idolising someone, particularly if that someone is a parent or child. To Pumpkin, her tata (father) is the best tata in the world, and nothing will change that because she can’t or doesn’t want to see any different.

Have you thought about the subject of your next book?
I have no idea what my next book will be about as at the moment my mind is blank. However, I do hope that when or if the next story starts growing in my head, the issues I address come naturally and that I don’t make a conscious effect to tackle one issue or another. I write best when I don’t think too much about subjects and how to tackle them, but rather just focus on telling a story.