Nothing is ordinary or predictable in Brian Samuel’s autobiography Song for My Father.
With the exception of Phil Knight’s memoir Shoe Dog, I can’t recall any book I’ve read in this genre that is so laugh-aloud funny. But Samuel’s story is one up on Knight’s for its ability to tackle serious, uncomfortable topics through humour.
From the prologue, Samuel blends mystery, tension and humour beginning with the opening conversation between himself and students in England questioning him about why his mother is not present in his life.
Samuel points out that no one would have bothered to ask about his missing mother in Trinidad, but it baffles boys in England. His mother has a looming presence in autobiography even though she doesn’t make an appearance until quite late in the story.
Creating a major character from someone who is missing is challenging to pull off and Samuel does it as well as Joseph Conrad did with Kurtz who makes his appearance near the end of Heart of Darkness.
Samuel explores important themes of survival, family and belonging in a personal story that shatters stereotypes and transcends boundaries.
In an interview he describes himself as “an economist by training, Jack-of-all-trades by inclination. I've worked in shipping, agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, and project financing; and now I consult on all the above. While building my house. And sailing. And biking. And ...” He also calls himself the “quintessential nomad…Thus far I've lived in ten countries, and moved from one country to the next a total of 22 times, in 69 years.”
Remarkably, Samuel said his autobiography was originally only meant to tell his family’s story to the new generation coming up. He hadn’t considered an audience beyond his family.
“It started out as a collection of old photographs, with a narrative attached to each, and it just kept on growing,” said Samuel. “Also, friends have always marvelled at our unique family journey, and urged me to put it on paper.”
He said it took him two decades to write, and he finished it during the pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_1013632" align="alignnone" width="683"] Brian Samuel explores important themes of survival, family and belonging in a personal story that shatters stereotypes and transcends boundaries. -[/caption]
This endless cycle of moving to other countries makes Song for My Father a defining story for third culture kids, born in one place and living in a succession of other places. They are common in today’s world, but were unusual for Samuel’s generation when West Indians migrated from the West Indies and settled in Canada, the US or England.
For Samuel there is anger, disappointment and confusion in this whirlwind life, but the problems and challenges do not outweigh constant adventures captured in brilliant imagery, natural dialogue, relatable conflicts, and subtle nuances that show rather than tell this compelling story. Even names tell a story. His father name is Darwin and his two brothers are Tom and Gerry.
This is a coming-of-age story that cre
