The Geography of Desire
"A poignant, occasionally steamy, memoir of self-discovery."—Kirkus Reviews
It's 1978, and twenty-four-year-old Linda Gambill is stuck with a dead-end job, a nightly marijuana habit, and a troubled relationship with a former professor. Desperate to explore the world and find her place in it, she makes good on a long-held dream. She joins the Peace Corps. A year later, she arrives in Medina, a devout Muslim village in The Gambia, West Africa. She's tasked with teaching health and nutrition to the village women, but they have no confidence in a young white woman trying to change their ways. Instead of finding a sense of belonging, Linda becomes so depressed she can barely leave her hut. When tragedy strikes, her perspective shifts from self-absorption to service. She learns the local language, forges friendships, and begins to make her mark on the village, all the while falling in love with two very different men. But it is only when violence erupts that the course of her life becomes clear. Richly sensual and poignant, The Geography of Desire is the story of one woman's transformative journey amidst the challenges and beauty of West Africa, showing how the people we set out to change, in the end, change us.
These discussion questions were provided by DartFrog Books.
Book club questions for The Geography of Desire by Linda Gambill
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
The are several places in The Geography of Desire where the author finds herself at a crossroads: either stay with the status quo or move forward into uncharted territory. Of the three below, which one can you most relate to? Which would be most difficult for you?
a. Standing in the sleet in Knoxville, Linda takes stock of her life and decides to finally join the Peace Corps.
b. Homesick and lonely, she wants to return home to the States, but after a child she’s trying to help suddenly dies, she re-commits to finding a way to help her village.
c. Back home many years later in conflict with her husband, she returns to The Gambia for a visit to see what it was that she lost there.
When Linda is melting down from loneliness and struggling to gain momentum in Medina, what part of you empathizes with her and what part, if any, feels impatient for her to figure out what to do?
Linda describes her relationship with her mother after her parents’ divorce as an “ambiguous loss,” meaning that her mother was physically present but emotionally absent. An ambiguous loss can also involve a person who is physically absent but emotionally present.
a. Have you ever experienced an ambiguous loss in your own life? If so, how did it affect you compared to toher losses?
b. Have you resolved this loss? If so, what did it take?
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Create My ClubA stranger named Samantha spends the night with Linda and tells her something that changes the way she sees her situation in the village. Has a stranger—or anyone, actually—ever told you something that helped you see your way out of a difficult situation?
When Linda refuses to be the treasurer of the garden project, do you agree with her decision to keep control in the hands of the villagers—even if it means handing control over to a man? What would you have done?
Today many Peace Corps volunteers have cell-phones and access to the internet. How would you feel about experiencing the level of isolation Linda endured—relieved or panicked?
What motivated Linda to have an affair with Kabir? What unintended consequences did the affair have on her life?
In the end, Linda succeeds in creating sustainable change in Medina. What one element do you think most contributed to the success of the garden?
The Geography of Desire is shaped by its specific time and place—West Africa in 1979, a period marked by postcolonial transition and shifting political realities.
a. How does Linda navigate being both an observer and participant in this environment?
b. In what ways do issues of power, privilege, or cultural misunderstanding surface in her personal story?
How does the author use sensory detail, reflection, or silence to reconstruct her experience of West Africa?
Have you ever lived in a different culture for an extended period? If so, how did it change you? If you haven’t lived in another culture, would you like to? Why or why not?
The Geography of Desire Book Club Questions PDF
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