The Siren of Good Intentions by author J.E. Mooney is a sweeping and immersive descent into the wild heart of West Africa exploring the dramatic conflicts of capitalism, imperialism, loyalty, and love. A cast of inter-related and well-penned characters find their lives intersecting, colliding, and overlapping amidst their personal quests for wealth and meaning.
Victor is an untamed soul, finding purpose and developing an ever-widening skillset in West Africa, knowing his way around, and knowing how to get things done, whatever it takes. Much of the story centers around his involvement with Doria and Nigel, a married couple from the UK with very different views on the value of the natural world. Linked in an emotional and financial tug-of-war, the burgeoning relationships and motives brewing between these protagonists is a fascinating engine for the novel. Money, passion, and science collide in a morally opaque battlefield where readers may struggle to choose sides.
Aside from the rich and complex plot, and the bevy of authentic characters populating these pages, the patient skill of description gives this book a sense of authority and power. In the tradition of many classic authors, Mooney is an artist with his words, capturing the beauty of a vista as readily as the tension of miscommunication between nascent lovers. Trusting that readers want to put in the work, this novel is a sprawling story with side plots and secondary characters that fill in the gaps of this world, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story completely.
For someone who has never traveled to Guinea, Senegal, or Mali, the descriptions are incredibly vivid and the cultural elements are meticulously noted; Mooney’s scene-painting feels effortless throughout. Presumably, there was also an impressive amount of research done in medicinal plants, engineering, field surveying, geology, mining, African history, and sociology. From high-end diamond deals in Amsterdam to visceral scenes of violence and suffering in unnamed villages, Mooney’s ability to transport readers at will is remarkable. Despite stretching for more than 500 pages, the language isn’t overly verbose. A story of this magnitude, with so many minute moments of thoughtful, insightful beauty needs this much space to breathe and build.
Reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beryl Markham, and Michael Ondaatje, this is a book to be savored and revisited. The clashes of cultures depicted here deserve an essay unto themselves, while the delicacy of language, translation, dialect, and colloquial speech are given the importance they’re due. To have such a fantastic story woven through such a tangible and authentic world is a rare treat.
Leaning into detail is admirable, but certain descriptions do feel redundant, while narrative explanations of characters’ moods or intentions sometimes seem unnecessary. The technique of self-referential questions in the narration is also used too often, and begins to feel like a crutch, or an easy end-around to directing readers’ attention. That said, these are small critiques of an otherwise marvelous story. Brimming with tension and cultural significance, The Siren of Good Intentions boldly bends genres and challenges the norms of history, declaring itself both timeless and timely.
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