Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (2002) is a memoir by Alexandra Fuller. Fuller recounts her childhood during the tumultuous years of the Rhodesian Bush War and life in post-independence Southern Africa. The author details her family‘s tragedies against the backdrop of political upheaval and social change as they settle on a series of struggling farms in Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia), Malawi, and Zambia. The memoir was a New York Times Notable Book for 2002, a finalist for the Guardian’s First Book Award, and the winner of the 2002 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. Its title alludes to a joke by the writer and humorist A. P. Herbert: “Don‘t let‘s go to the dogs tonight, for mother will be there” (King, Nina. “In and Out of Africa.” Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2002.).

This guide uses the paperback version published by Random House in 2002.

Content Warning: This guide includes graphic descriptions of violence and suffering inflicted on both soldiers and civilians. It also discusses death and the extreme violence that accompanied colonialism, as well as systemic racism and racist attitudes. It also features depictions of alcohol use disorder, child death, and sexual assault.

Summary

Alexandra Fuller, the third child of Nicola and Tim Fuller, is born in England after her family leaves Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) following the death of her brother Aidan. After living a lower-middle-class life in England for a while, the Fullers decide to return to Rhodesia. A nation governed by white minority rule, Rhodesia enforces strict segregationist policies that suppress its majority Black population. During the journey back, young Alexandra nearly dies after experiencing a high fever.

The Fullers settle first on a farm in central Rhodesia. Later, the family moves to the east and settles on a farm in the Burma Valley, a region known for harsh weather conditions and civil unrest. They grow tobacco and raise cattle while facing hazardous wildlife. When the war breaks out, Alexandra’s parents enlist as reservists and fortify their farm, carrying firearms for protection. Special convoys, equipped with mine-detecting vehicles, escort farmers like the Fullers when they go into town. Alexandra and the other children learn war tactics and basic first aid. Nicola and Tim teach their daughters to clean and operate firearms for self-defense, instructing the girls not to disturb them at night for fear of accidental shooting. While Vanessa is at boarding school and Tim is on missions, Alexandra spends her days with her mother at a local police station.

One day, while Alexandra and Vanessa are home without their parents, a guest sexually assaults them. Despite reporting the guest’s actions to their parents, they downplay its seriousness. Vanessa’s demeanor noticeably changes: She turns distant and detached.

One evening, after returning from a gathering at a neighbor’s house, the family finds their farm has been raided and their maid, Violet, has been brutally stabbed by the cook, July. Tim organizes a search party with some of his best workers. They eventually capture and hand July in to the Rhodesian police.

The family welcomes a new daughter, Olivia. While Tim and Nicola are shopping in town, Olivia drowns in a duck pond. Her death shatters the family and Nicola, grief-stricken, begins to misuse alcohol.

The Black majority wins the war, establishing the new Zimbabwean government. With the end of school segregation, Alexandra is surprised to find herself among only a few white children at her boarding school. The new administration implements a policy of land redistribution, seizing and selling off the Fullers’ farm, prompting the family to relocate to a remote, arid part of Zimbabwe, where Tim is offered a one-year position. Nicola gets pregnant with her fifth child and is hospitalized due to complications. Alexandra and Vanessa decorate their baby brother’s nursery, but soon learn he has passed away shortly after birth. Nicola, grieving the loss of a third child, becomes more withdrawn and drinks heavily. Vanessa explains their mother’s fragile state to Alexandra, offering comfort in her absence.

The family moves to Malawi, aiming to aid Nicola’s recovery with a change of environment. They settle on a poorly-run tobacco farm owned by the Malawian government, facing constant monitoring by the oppressive regime. Despite the government’s control, the Fullers form bonds with other white neighbors. Alexandra and Vanessa, now teenagers, relish a countryside lifestyle, swimming with family and neighbors at a nearby lake.

The family relocates to a once-thriving estate in Zambia. They revitalize the farm, tending to various chores. Alexandra goes to university abroad, feeling a strong longing during her trips back to Zambia for the holidays. Vanessa moves to England, where she gets married and has a child. Alexandra meets Charlie, her future husband, during a safari trip in Zambia, and they later get married at the family’s farm in a days-long celebration. Alexandra relocates to the United States following her wedding.

Nicola receives a bipolar disorder diagnosis after a manic episode. She is briefly hospitalized and continues her treatment with medication at home, a fish farm where she lives with Tim in Zambia. A mother of three and expecting her fourth, Vanessa gets divorced and later remarries, relocating to a farm in Zambia close to her parents.