Description:
A young woman escapes her dead-end life in East Tennessee to search for purpose, belonging, and adventure in West Africa.
Brief description: Linda Gambill has been a therapist at a state psychiatric hospital, a Peace Corps volunteer, a nationally exhibited photographer, and a teacher of English as a Second Language. Her writing has appeared in Persimmon Tree and Parhelion. A Hambidge fellow, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and their talkative rescue cat.
Review Quotes: "In her debut memoir, The Geography of Desire: A Memoir of West Africa, Linda Gambill demonstrates the rare courage required to examine one's youth with both unshrinking honesty and tender grace. Anchored in her transformative years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1970s, Gambill delivers a narrative that maps the internal cartography of the soul as vividly as the sun-drenched paths of The Gambia. Gambill's prose is by turns lyrical and wise, marked by a photographer's eye. For those of us who appreciate a memoir that treats the past with professional care and deep emotional intelligence, The Geography of Desire is a haunting reminder that your early journeys never truly end." - Los Angeles Book Review/Jessica Fahey
"Linda Gambill's The Geography of Desire is the kind of memoir that doesn't just recount a journey; it interrogates the reasons for taking one. From its first pages, it's clear this book is less about "finding yourself " than about finally stopping the self-deceptions that keep you lost. You meet Gambill in late-1970s Tennessee, stuck in a lopsided affair and the old itch to prove she can run her own life. The writing is plainspoken, then suddenly gorgeous in a single image. I closed this memoir feeling both chastened and oddly hopeful. Gambill shows that desire can be messy, even embarrassing, yet still honest. What lingers is her hard-won clarity: the world may turn you inside out, but what you come out with can finally be your own." - BookBelow"A slow-burning page turner, The Geography of Desire has haunted me since I put it down. With an intimate, sometimes poetic style, Linda Gambill takes the reader on her inner and outer journey in The Gambia, a corner of West Africa I knew little about but which has captured a piece of my heart." - Eleanor Cooper, author of Dragonfly Dreams and Grace in China: An American Woman Beyond the Great Wall, 1934-1974"On this profoundly personal journey from her stifling life in East Tennessee to a devout Muslim village in The Gambia, West Africa, Gambill discovers that she is vastly underprepared for the harsh realities of life in the bush. This powerful story about the search for meaning and the desire to matter brings her face-to-face with her own deep-seated flaws and surprising resilience, leading her to at last lay claim to her truest self. Gambill's writing is by turns lyrical, self-reflective, and wise; it is a treat to go on this journey with her." - Dana Shavin, author of The Body Tourist and Finding the World: Thoughts on Life, Love, Home, and Dogs"Gambill's writing style is often poetic-the memoir reads like a novel, replete with sparky dialogue, inner monologues, and a narrative unafraid to embrace the complexities and erotic moments of romantic relationships. This material is balanced with scholarly research on The Gambia that provides readers with cultural and historical context... A poignant, occasionally steamy memoir of self-discovery." - Kirkus Reviews"Linda Gambill's writing is reflective, often blending straightforward narration with passages that highlight sensory details and emotional changes. Scenes move between memory and present reflection, creating a narrative that shows the insights gained over time. The Geography of Desire offers a thoughtful look at how stepping outside familiar surroundings can reshape perspectives and deepen understanding of oneself and others." - Readers' Favorite