The Geography of Desire
A Memoir of West Africa
by Linda Gambill
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Pub Date Jun 16 2026 | Archive Date Not set
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Description
It’s 1978, and twenty-four-year-old Linda Gambill is stuck in a dead-end job, a nightly marijuana habit, and a troubled relationship with a former professor. Desperate to explore the world and find her place in it, she makes good on a long-held dream. She joins the Peace Corps.
A year later, she arrives in Medina, a devout Muslim village in The Gambia, West Africa. She’s tasked with teaching health and nutrition to the village women, but they have no confidence in a young white woman trying to change their ways. Instead of finding a sense of belonging, Linda becomes so depressed she can barely leave her hut.
When tragedy strikes, her perspective shifts from self-absorption to service. She learns the local language, forges friendships, and begins to make her mark on the village, all the while falling in love with two very different men. But it is only when a coup breaks out that the course of her life becomes clear. Richly sensual and poignant, The Geography of Desire is the story of one woman’s transformative journey amidst the challenges and beauty of West Africa, showing how the people we set out to change, in the end, change us.
A Note From the Publisher
Linda Gambill has been a therapist at a state psychiatric hospital, a Peace Corps volunteer, a nationally exhibited photographer, and a teacher of English as a Second Language. Her writing has appeared in Persimmon Tree and Parhelion Literary. The Geography of Desire is her first book. A fellow of the Hambidge Center, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and their talkative rescue cat.
Advance Praise
“Gambill delivers a narrative that maps the internal cartography of the soul as vividly as the sun-drenched paths of The Gambia.”—Los Angeles Book Review (5 stars)
“A poignant, occasionally steamy, memoir of self-discovery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A slow-burning page turner, The Geography of Desire has haunted me since I put it down. With an intimate, sometimes poetic style, Linda Gambill takes the reader on her inner and outer journey in The Gambia, a corner of West Africa I knew little about but which has captured a piece of my heart.”—Eleanor Cooper, author of Dragonfly Dreams and Grace in China: An American Woman Beyond the Great Wall, 1934–1974
“Gambill’s writing is by turns lyrical, self-reflective, and wise; it is a treat to go on this journey with her.”—Dana Shavin, author of The Body Tourist and Finding the World: Thoughts on Life, Love, Home and Dogs
“Linda Gambill’s The Geography of Desire: A Memoir of West Africa takes readers on an adventure of self-discovery and her quest for belonging while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia. I found myself rooting for her as she struggles with unresolved grief while trying to adapt to village life, to figure out how to make a sustainable difference, and to navigate her love for two men. This powerful and provocative memoir left me longing to embark on another overseas adventure of my own. What a ride!”—Anna Keibler, author of Firecrackers: The Exploits of an Expat in China
Marketing Plan
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Outreach goal: 380 outlets
- Publishing Industry Publications
- Podcasts
- Regional News (TV & Radio)
- Book Reviews Sites and Publications
- Book Blogs
- Social Media Book Influencers
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781627206334 |
| PRICE | $25.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 396 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 1 member
Featured Reviews
Hannah B, Media/Journalist
Linda Gambill’s “The Geography of Desire” is an interesting, thoughtful memoir of her experience in a village in The Gambia as a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1970’s. She’s the first volunteer in this particular village and has many trials and challenges to overcome with cultural differences, being a young, unmarried woman, and trying to make a difference without a roadmap.
Her writing is raw, personal, and reflective. She details her relationship with community…including romantic at times, as well as her own personal growth during this time.
It’s a great, really engaging read about a place many Americans probably know very little about. I very much enjoyed this read, especially as I toured The Gambia for a week to go birding! It was great to give me more context and background about this country.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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