He couldn t give her the strength she so needed, while Tommy could. Yet if that is the case, that angle wasn t explored thoroughly enough to give that strong impression. Theme grimmer, but similar to other books. Characters less likeable perhaps, but overall still similar. Setting I can t see that it makes much of a difference.
Timing plays a part too, of course.
This book came out in the aftermath of the Great Depression, after the Jazz Age had blown past. This book worked on two levels. The details can be a bit confusing as the four of them move, sometimes together and sometimes separately, across a lot of African country that is differentiated only by the quality of its game and a lot of long African names that are impossible to keep track of. It s certainly an eye-opener for the majority of us who, not being rich white expatriates in a time when environmentalism and animal rights hardly merited concern, will never embark on a safari. The fact that it s wholly non-fiction is a trifle surprising, for events build up to a convenient climax, and the ending contains convenient closure.