Because I want disturbing dreams

I have been listening, at night, to the audio versions of Alexandra Fuller‘s books, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier. I’ll come suddenly awake at three thirty to hear Lisette Lecat’s clear, dispassionate voice describing some horror, or something hilarious, or a mordant combination.

Because I fall in and out of sleep, I can’t say — yet — that I’ve read all of either book. I’ve heard certain scenes several times, and I know I’ve missed large sections. Obviously, it’s not the ideal way to read, and obviously, I intend to read both in full. But there’s something especially haunting and effective about hearing this kind of narrative while you’re in the dark, on the edge of unconsciousness. There’s less that comes between you and the story.