Fiona Macleod THORNS TO KILIMANJARO by Ian McCallum (David Philip) On one level Thorns to Kilimanjaro is a tale of adventure about climbing the highest free-standing mountain in the world; on another it is about a man’s quest to lay to rest a few bothersome personal ghosts.
The main character, Hamish Malcolm, sets off to climb Kilimanjaro with his wife and a couple of old friends. He follows the path his father had taken 40 years previously and undertakes to fulfil two of his father’s bequests before his death: to scatter his ashes and place a bible at the top of the mountain.
The journey is not only physically arduous, but involves much soul-searching. In the process, Malcolm must come to terms with his father’s death and get over his lingering anger at his father for leaving him.
Self-discovery is the major theme of modern-day eco-psychology, which is becoming increasingly popular as humankind becomes further removed from wilderness and adventure.
It is a topic that the author, Ian McCallum, knows well. He is a founder member and former chair of the Wilderness Leadership School (Cape), and he has worked as a wilderness guide in Botswana for a number of years. McCallum is also a medical doctor, psychiatrist and Jungian analyst all aspects that form strong themes of his novel.
As the physical challenges of the journey progress, two recurring points of discussion throughout the book are thrown into relief: the Bible’s Book of Genesis and the Ziziphus mucronata, a thorn tree found in Africa.
The branches of the Ziziphus mucronata have two rows of thorns, one pointing forwards and the other hooking backwards. These are the thorns of the title, Thorns to Kilimanjaro, symbols of the fact that true questers need always to look ahead to the future while at the same time never forgetting where they have come from.
They also reflect that this is an African tale, set in an African landscape. One of the gems of the book is its abiding respect and awe of the natural assets found in that landscape.
The Jungian analysis at times verges on irritating psycho-babble for the unitiated reader, but the thread of the group’s adventures as they ascend the mountain helps you not to get bogged down in it for long.
If you can, avoid skipping ahead to the back to see whether the group makes it to the top of Kilimanjaro. The suspense is worth it.