This book is an autobiography written by a journalist Aminatta Forna. This book is based on a true story narrated by the author who basically portrayers the story of her own father when he was arrested by the police to a Sierra Leone jail where he was alleged to be involved in an conspiracy of murder. His father named Mohamed was a doctor by profession and at the same time achieved to win the seat of finance minister in Sierra Leone. On the other hand he was also a leading protestor to one of the political parties at that time that holds a strong parliamentary position at Sierra Leone. Therefore, due to political upheavals this brilliant and kind doctor was executed for treason. Moreover, Frona also describes the political transition from democracy to dictatorship and the internal corruption in the state politics. She also highlights the political realities and socio-economic complexities, which resulted in political disturbances in postcolonial Africa.

Aminatta Forna produced a clear understanding about her past life containing the memories of her father and his political life she picks a very beautiful topic for her book. The title of the book, “ The Devil That Danced On The Water” at a first glance seems to be some book written primarily discussing about Africa. However, in the very beginning Fona clears this point that this book is a reflection of her personal history of the first 10 years of her life. Therefore, the theme of this book is the question she explains to the readers “What happened to my father one night when I was ten years old?”

She begins the book explaining the night of 1974 during the Presidency Siala Stevens at Sierra Leone. What basically motivates her to investigate about her father was the hidden secret behind the sudden arrest and uncertain allegations against her father after which he was hanged for treason. So she started collecting random memories from the period of 1965-1975 and constructed three different chronologies, which were about her personal life, her father’s life and lastly the political history of Sierra Leone during these 10 years.

However, while explaining the chronology made on her personal life we find few very important things that are related to the other two chronologies. These are the men dressed in red, which gives a threatening influence to her during her childhood and the common beating in the market place. So at the end she realizes the connection of these random memories to the political and social life that twisted the postcolonial life of Africa.

While explaining her personal life she reminds us about the internal politics of the state that were over all corrupted due to few corrupt people. Forna came to the understanding that her father was actually a man who had the courage to fight for the right and raise voice against the wrong. Therefore, she explains that her father actually accused the President for cheating in the World Bank, which Stevens used as a tool against her father when he was the finance minister. Forna also discovered that her father resigned from a very respectable in a very honorable institution to fight against unjust, corruption and wrong. Resignation was not the only step taken by her father as he also published a detailed letter explaining the internal corruption practiced by the higher authority. With this her father set up an opposition party. This was the reason Forna discovered behind the imprisonment of her father.

While recalling and discovering the reasons behind the sudden arrest of her father, Forna also expresses the disturbed feelings of her family, which shows that they smelled the upcoming danger and the need to seek a refuge. Consequently, they opt for it. Though initially a number of family friends refused to give them refuge out of fear, but they ultimately succeeded to get refuge for about three weeks by a couple. After this they escaped to England.

Another interesting point that Forna discovered while investigating about her father and the political events of Africa that time were related to the three-year period when her father was imprisoned. The figure of three months was activating her memories, therefore she got the answer when related these three years to the changing political trends in Sierra Leone. During these three years there was a massive change in the political philosophies as democracy was shifted towards dictatorship and corruption arose to a high level. Forna also explains the major changes adopted by Stevens during these 3 years. He being the President massively misused his powers as he not only erected the pillars of dictatorship but also weakened the national army and forced the police chief out and constructed an army of his own with the establishment of his own militia party named as Siaka Stevens Dog or SSD. Consequently, no one had the courage to stand against him in the coming elections so he once again got the seat of President.

This book becomes more interesting when Forna explains about the outcome of her investigation regarding the court trials and the evidences she collected used against her father. She explored that all these witnesses and evidences were also false as they were offered a good amount of money to testify against her father. On the other hand, she explains to the readers that when she found a letter written by her father 20 years back, she was motivated to return to Sierra Leone once more during 2000. Here she also praises her father while telling about the psychological bravery and determination while supporting justice and right. This she expresses between the lines when she tells about the opportunity given to her father and other eight people to write an application pleading kindness and mercy from the Court before they were to be executed. Though the rest of the people opted this but her father refused to surrender before unjust and corruption. However, her father used this chance to write and expressed his views about the history and predicting the future of Sierra Leone where the lawmakers themselves break the rule of law under the influence of money and higher authorities.

Therefore, this autobiography written by Forna is very beautifully and truly crafted. Though the theme is as a result of strong emotions and feelings of a daughter towards her father, while exploring the truth behind the happenings with her father when she was 10 years old. At the same time this book also provides a complete understanding of the political transition from democracy to dictatorship very finely related to the question she asks in the very beginning of the book about her father.