Circling the Sun

by Paula McClain

REVIEW BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE

“We wore the chalk on us everywhere-up to the knees, in the creases of our fingers, and in my mouth. I couldn’t keep it out and stopped trying, and that was something I loved about Africa. The way it got at you from the outside in and never let up, and never let you go.”

This beautifully written novel is about a girl finding herself in the African wild, a fictional account of the real-life heroine Beryl Markham, who broke a flying record across the Atlantic. Stripped of the comforts of civilized society, as a young girl Beryl is grieving the loss of her mother who fled for England, leaving Beryl and her father to build a profitable farm in the jungle. Set in early 1900’s, Kenya is waging its own battle against distant rule and settlers looking to develop land in the country. Beryl spends her days barefoot, engaging in tribal activities with her best friend Kibii, a native who doesn’t hold Berly being a girl against her. Her father names their farm Green Hills, and makes money training horses to race. Beryl feels the spirit of Africa in her bones, reveres the animals that inhabit the jungle, and is as wild with her heart as she is in spirit. 

Beryl denies the traditional role of women of her station, instead thriving in a man’s work, and fearlessly denying the impact of her mother abandoning the family. “I’ve always thought being loved a little less than others can actually make a person rather than ruin them.” She rides recklessly, loves recklessly, and doesn’t realize the consequences of her choices. She is a character to root for, even with all her flaws. She can’t seem to live without risk, and knowingly indulges unseemly behavior and resists shame. After a series of scandalously bad relationships, Beryl meets a man who captures her heart by refusing to claim it. Her animal instincts translate well in the racing world, and Beryl finds moderate success, always preferring a crop and riding boots to pearls and corsets. 

Paula McClain’s describes the wild abandon of unchartered territory in this love story to Africa. The harsh natural elements parallel Beryl’s spirit, both unwilling to be tamed. McClain embraces the bitter reality of a woman refusing to stay in a box, highlighting her triumphs and carrying her through the valleys. “Such happiness always comes with a price, and yet I would pay it all again and more. I wouldn’t take a single moment back, not even to save myself pain.” 

I selfishly stole every moment reading this book, finding twenty-minute spells alone to return to Beryl’s world. The lush portrayals of the landscape and barren accounts of heartbreak transported me to another time and place. I can’t recommend this book enough. Similarly, I read McClain’s The Paris Wife, and also loved the fictional account of Hadley, Ernest Hemingway’s wife. McClain writes female characters with heart, stamina, and grit.