Set in Zambia, “Patchwork” tells the poignant story of Pumpkin, a bastard child who grows up to become an emotionally tormented woman. The novel opens in the 1970s when Pumpkin is a 9-year-old girl. Her father is a wealthy businessman with a family of his own; her mother is an alcoholic who believes that someday Pumpkin’s father will marry her. Because of her mother’s drinking problem, her father eventually takes Pumpkin to live with his family, a decision that his wife does not handle well.

The tale of Pumpkin’s childhood is heartbreaking - the neglect and poverty of life with her mother, the longing she has for her father’s love, the aching estrangement she feels from her father’s family. In the second portion of the book, Pumpkin is an adult, and she is still reacting to her childhood scars and trying to understand her relationship to her parents.

Pumpkin is a true-to-life character whose actions are understandable though not commendable. The author makes the reader want to adopt the young Pumpkin and befriend the older Pumpkin. You want to somehow intervene and make her life better. The author has taken what could be a clichéd plot and made it something unique and heartbreaking.

It is also a book that is rich in African detail - the Zambian culture, the poverty and class differences, the political problems in the neighboring country of Rhodesia. These details are well integrated into the storyline, creating a strong sense of place without overpowering the plot.

“Patchwork” is a gritty novel filled with raw emotion, and Pumpkin is an unforgettable character. This well-written book won the 2010 Penguin Prize for African Writing. It is the author’s first novel, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. ( )