Author Chris Bohjalian whisks Savannah off to thrilling Tanzania in new novel, 'The Lioness'

It turns out that stories can be as useful as a Boy Scout knife on a safari gone horribly wrong.

In his latest novel, “The Lioness,” New York Times bestselling author Chris Bohjalian uses both of these tools to leads his characters, and perhaps readers, to confront daunting realities about the shifting world around them.

Although set in 1964 Tanzania, “The Lioness” began with a spark of inspiration after a New York City Monday matinee. The author’s description of that day was just as detailed as his descriptions of the Serengeti.

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“The sky was cobalt, and I went from this dark, air-conditioned cinema into the blistering August heat, and I thought to myself, ‘my gosh, movies are magic. Why have I never written a Hollywood novel?’” Bohjalian said.

But Bohjalian wanted to focus the conflict less on Hollywood moguls and more on other areas of the world that were changing just as quickly. After auditioning a few possibilities, Bohjalian decided on East Africa, an area where the Cold War wasn’t the only reason everything could change in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to a serendipitous change of schedule, Bohjalian’s research plan shifted almost as quickly. Although the author and his wife planned a safari trip for May 2020, a cancellation in October 2019 allowed them to move the trip up.

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Months before the global pandemic hijacked the world, Bohjalian met a crucial new character: The Serengeti.

“I loved going on my safari. It stays with you forever when you see a mother lioness with her cubs, when you see an elephant pushing her child in front of the cameras with something like pride, or when you see the great frenetic crossing of the Mara River with thousands and thousands of wildebeests and zebras all hoping to cross before a lioness or a crocodile gets them,” Bohjalian recalled with deep reverence in his voice.

“It’s real circle of life stuff.”

Actress Katie Barstow, her new husband David Hill, and their guests repeatedly face the circle of life as their kidnapping escalates throughout “The Lioness.” With death glaring around every tent corner and baobab tree, it’s clear that this safari will be far from the peaceful one Bohjalian experienced in 2019.

Whether it’s questions of fame, racism, love, or death, the Serengeti challenges everything the safari members have ever known about one another and themselves. “We never know who we are until our feet are really put to the fire,” Bohjalian said.

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“When I was writing ‘The Lioness,’ I had no idea who would be heroic and who would be cowardly. I don’t think any of us know how we respond in that situation until we are in it.”

While few of us have firsthand experience with the kinds of danger in “The Lioness,” the book’s historical and social threads are attractive features for many Savannahians. Stories helped build Savannah, and its people celebrate those stories in every way possible, from shopping at local bookstores to attending the annual Savannah Book Festival. “It’s a community that really cherishes what books can mean to the soul,” Bohjalian said. “It’s a community, in my experience, that understands that books are great windows into our personal lives.”

Each new encounter reminds us that books aren’t just for classrooms and libraries. Books are gateways to understanding the world and each other, a realization Savannah Book Festival encourages through events like An Evening with Chris Bohjalian.

“That’s a great, great gift,” Bohjalian said. “Savannah is an unbelievably wonderful reading city.”

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That kind of compliment carries great significance coming from a writer, especially one still holding onto the 45-cent copy of Edgar Allen Poe short stories he bought as a 7-year-old. Those stories, and many more like them, sparked an avid reading habit that inspired lifelong goals. “I always knew I was going to be an author, or I knew I was going to try,” Bohjalian said. “The question was whether I would succeed and get to do it.”

With more than 20 works translated into over 35 languages, Bohjalian has done more than just become an accomplished author. He’s lent a helping hand to those of us trying to figure out how to survive in a world that often feels like it's been turned upside-down.

An Evening with Chris Bohjalian is hosted by Savannah Book Festival and E. Shaver Booksellers. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Copies of Bohjalian’s books will be available for purchase at the event, and the author will be signing event-purchased books.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian