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Benin's history is as rich as its mythology, and so, in parallel with the journey into vodou is one into the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, as Caulfield visits the various centres of this old African empire. As the book's title implies, though, much of the narrative involves mysticism. The profusion of magical beliefs in West Africa is as great today as it has ever been; here, most people believe things that would have them confined to asylums elsewhere, and indeed, as Caulfield is guided round the country by Isidore, her taxi driver, she sees the magical beliefs of the Beninois as a means of masking mental illness--like many an anthropologist before her.
Nevertheless, her scepticism about magic does not harm the narrative's integrity. Her friendship with Isidore is sensitively drawn, and she has a strong understanding of the history of Dahomey, as well as of the callousness so often shown towards Africa by Europeans. By the end, we care deeply about the characters we have met, and, whether the magic is real or not, we know that Benin is a special place.--Toby Green
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