I think the title made me think of a trashy summer read, and might not draw readers to the subject matter as much as the content merits.

There are parallels to dominion and sex, aggression, and the need to find clear and determined answers. Following the cake and birthday songs, her father speaks to her in private, "Trouble is," he said, "I'm so fucking bored. Hope is trying to figure out all that's happened to her, both in England with her husband and the events that caused her to flee to a new job in Africa, and the challenges she's faced since then. But put all the ideas and themes to one side, and the book becomes a simple but compelling story of Hope's life.

Brazzaville Beach is, to some degree, about tasting the fruits of knowledge and losing one’s innocence. Boyd has been with his wife Susan since they met as students at Glasgow University and all his books are dedicated to her.

Sifting the details for evidence of her own innocence or guilt, she tells her engrossing story with a blunt and beguiling honesty that not only intrigues and disturbs but is also completely enthralling. While each strand is told linearly in time, the book cuts between them so that the reader is following them all simultaneously.He is also the author of a collection of screenplays and a memoir of his schooldays, School Ties (1985); three collections of short stories: On the Yankee Station (1981), The Destiny of Nathalie 'X' (1995) and Fascination (2004). I enjoyed the book, as a change of pace from many of my normal, and while the conclusion to one half was inevitable quite early, the writing is very good. I think the book might have been stronger had Boyd concentrated entirely on Hope’s time in Africa, with only minimal backstory regarding her life in England and her marriage.