52 pages • 1 hour read
Alexandra FullerDon't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 32-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 32 Summary: “Malawi”
The Fullers move to Malawi, choosing the longer, safer route to avoid crossing war-torn Mozambique. They settle on a poorly managed tobacco farm owned by the Malawian government, where even their correspondence is constantly monitored.
The harsh Malawian government limits its citizens’ freedoms and responds to dissent with severe consequences, including mysterious deaths and disappearances. Vanessa, now 16, attends a liberal private school in Malawi, while 13-year-old Alexandra remains in a strict boarding school in Zimbabwe. When Alexandra visits Malawi at the end of her school term, she experiences the stringent customs procedures firsthand as customs officials thoroughly inspect her belongings.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Touching the Ground”
The Fullers settle in a swampy area near a lake. Their home is spacious but worn-out, surrounded by a bustling garden. Life on the farm demands hard work, with the family feeling the tensions of racial dynamics in Malawi, where foreigners face potential deportation.
During an outing, Alexandra unintentionally harms a local child with her motorbike. Remorseful, she joins the family for a meal, where she witnesses severe poverty firsthand. After the incident, Alexandra gifts locals her old clothes, but her mother underscores the futility of her gesture, citing the unavoidable nature of hardships in their country.
Chapter 34 Summary: “The Goat Shed”
While living in Malawi, the Fullers endure ongoing health issues, the loss of their pets, and the presence of a government spy. Despite their struggles, they find solace in socializing with fellow white expatriates. Seeking an escape from the oppressive atmosphere, they build a simple hut by a remote lake for weekend retreats. Tensions rise when a government inquiry investigates rumors of a lavish palace built with state funds, only to find the family’s hut, leading to it being humorously labeled as a “goat shed.”
Chapter 35 Summary: “Federal Fullers”
While spending time by the lake with her sister, Alexandra negotiates a canoe ride with a local fisherman. Accidentally capsizing the canoe while attempting to board it, she apologizes profusely, but the fisherman remains silent, focusing on salvaging his belongings. Back on shore, Vanessa confronts Alexandra about her clumsiness and eccentric personality, teasing her about her lack of romantic experiences.
Later, at a New Year’s party, Alexandra has a frustrated first-kiss experience. Tim announces their family’s impending move from Malawi. He settles on going to Zambia, despite initial reluctance due to its diverse population. Nicola is excited about living in the sole nation of the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland they haven’t resided in thus far.
Chapter 36 Summary: “Mkushi”
In Zambia, the Fullers confront the harsh realities of poverty, disease, and another authoritarian rule. They settle in a remote area, hours away from urban centers. The journey is arduous, with poor roads, frequent roadblocks, and military stop points. Despite being in a fertile part of the countryside, the once-thriving estate has been neglected and is in a dilapidated state, in need of revitalization.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Balm in the Wounds”
The family revitalizes the farm, tending to various chores. Nicola discovers an injured owl and, with a servant’s help, nurses it back to health despite local superstitions about the animal being an omen of bad luck.
After struggling to get the owl to eat, Nicola successfully feeds it rodents. She surprises her family by cutting her hair short and dyeing it, and all celebrate her transformation with a beer before returning to the farm.
Chapter 38 Summary: “The Last Christmas”
The year Alexandra turns 18, there is a severe drought in Zambia. As the dry spell persists, the family’s concern for their tobacco crops increases. Despite the harsh conditions, the family tries to uphold Christmas traditions by decorating a tree and hosting a celebration with neighbors. Rain arrives on Christmas Day and the family celebrates during a festive lunch with their guests.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Charlie”
As Alexandra returns to Zambia from her studies abroad, she feels a deep connection to her homeland. Each trip back fills her with longing, and at the airport, she finds joy in the familiar sights and smells of Africa, even amidst bureaucratic encounters.
She attends Vanessa’s wedding in London. Then, at 22, Alexandra meets Charlie, her future husband, in Zambia. Their relationship flourishes during a safari trip, where they embrace the rugged beauty of the land and encounter wildlife. When introducing Charlie to her parents, Alexandra faces her father’s skepticism. Despite this, they are eventually married in a joyous days-long ceremony on the Fullers’ farm, joined by friends, family, and farm workers.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Now”
Nicola receives a bipolar disorder diagnosis following a manic episode with hallucinations and sleep disturbances. She is hospitalized and undergoes treatment, but feels emotionally distant, numbed by medication. She eventually returns home to Zambia, where she and Tim run a fish farm in a remote location. Nicola copes with her condition through medication, engaging in gardening, and staying connected with loved ones.
Vanessa, dealing with depression and a recent divorce, moves closer and prepares for the birth of her fourth child. The chapter concludes with a letter from Nicola to Alexandra, detailing life on the farm. Alexandra reflects on her family’s ongoing challenges, emphasizing the importance of perseverance amidst life’s struggles.
Chapters 32-40 Analysis
Despite the author’s attempt at a nuanced depiction of Africa throughout the memoir, she ultimately reverts to overused stereotypes about the continent. While Fuller’s writing was praised for capturing the continent‘s sensory overload—the vast landscapes, the cacophony of wildlife, and the vibrant colors—it paints a picture of exotic “otherness.“ Similarly simplistic, the contrast she provides for this idyllic scene are descriptions of shantytowns teeming with desperation, the struggle for basic necessities, and one-dimensional individuals such as impoverished locals, domestic servants, or corrupt officials. While such a portrayal acknowledges both positive and negative aspects, it ultimately reinforces a stereotypical view of the continent and its people, relying on overused tropes that fail to depict Africa’s complex and diverse reality.
Critics have also raised concerns about the author‘s purposeful distancing from critically engaging with her family‘s role in colonialization. While there are mentions throughout the memoir that acknowledge the problematic aspects of British settler colonialism in Africa, the narrative is heavily impacted by Fuller’s family‘s desires to recapture a lost colonial dream. This is evident in their constant moves to former British colonies like Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia, all part of the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Their social circle also reflects this insularity, with limited interactions beyond their socializing with other white Europeans.
While Fuller acknowledges some of her family‘s shortcomings, a closer look reveals how her privileged upbringing influences her recollections. In Malawi, she criticizes the government‘s control over foreigners and portrays Malawians as having an unjustified sense of racial superiority. However, she fails to acknowledge the historical context—The Impact of Colonialism and War—and its influence on local attitudes toward former colonizers. This suggests an implicit belief in the continued entitlement of white Europeans in Africa, a belief shaped during colonial rule, where their presence was unquestioned.
While the oppressive nature of Malawi‘s post-independence regime invites criticism, it is crucial to acknowledge the power shift between Europeans and locals that independence brought about, and how the nation began to grapple with its colonial past. Fuller‘s failure to address such a key aspect instead suggests the “tension“ her family felt stemmed from their resistance to a new power dynamic rather than solely the oppressive regime. In deeming poverty in Africa “unavoidable,” Nicola similarly absolves herself and her family from any liability, despite their role within the colonial structure. By not recognizing how their presence ties into the colonial legacy and contributes to systemic inequalities in Africa, both Nicola and Alexandra fail to address the complexities of colonialism and its lasting effects on African societies.
Fuller‘s paradoxical relationship with her family’s role in the colonial legacy reveals the struggles of Negotiating Identity in a Postcolonial Context. Despite opening the memoir with uncertainty about her origins, she ultimately expresses a visceral sense of belonging to Africa. The continent becomes synonymous with home—a place of childhood memories (both joyful and tragic), love, and marriage. The memoir closes, however, with an acknowledgment of the Incomplete nature of her work, referring to the idea that the story hasn’t come “full circle.” Often, stories use a circular structure where characters end up back where they began, having learned or grown in the process, creating a sense of completion. Therefore, in denying a full circle moment, Fuller depicts her homeland not as a static backdrop to her life, but as a dynamic force that has shaped, and continues to shape, her. Similarly, her return to childhood via her writing is not a simple revisiting of the past, but a recognition of its ongoing influence. The challenges her family faces and the complicated nature of their presence on the continent counter any simplistic notion of homecoming. Thus, the lack of a full-circle ending reflects the messy, unpredictable nature of life and the ever-evolving nature of the author’s identity.
