The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa

Truth is stranger than fiction. There is no other explanation for The Last Resort, Douglas Rogers's chronicle of his parents trials and tribulations in Zimbabwe during the first decade of the current century. Zimbabwe's troubles are well known, of course: the country's name nearly synonymous with hyperinflation and bad government. As Rogers describes, it is common for the price of goods to double in the time it takes to complete a transaction.

The Last Resort is far more personal than the consumer price index. Lyn and Rosalind Rogers are struggling to hold on to the farm, which is not really a farm, but a former backpackers lodge, singularly unsuited for farming. This is the sole reason that Lyn and Ros are among a handful of white Zimbabweans who are allowed to remain on their land, even if they may not, possibly, technically no longer own it. (Rogers devotes quite a bit of ink to his parents' quest to settle this question once and for all.)

The Drifters once graced the pages of Lonely Planet. Now, it is the local hotspot for pimps and prostitutes, illegal diamond dealers, and the occasional government minister. At one point, the Rogers have a rather successful side business in dagga, which is no more legal than it sounds. And then there are the power cuts, fuel and food shortages, and police roadblocks. All of this Douglas Rogers tells with humor and dogged good grace, while simultaneously infusing The Last Resort with a heavy dose of Rhodesian-Zimbabwean history and politics.

This is Dark Star Safari on steroids, only those living it are doing so out of necessity, not choice. My only complaint - and this is hardly a complaint - is that the book was published in 2010. What has happened since then? I found a short interview from 2012 that provides a bit of an update, but nothing since then. (Rogers's own website last appears to have been updated at least three years ago.) Alas. Hopefully the radio silence is the bi-product of writing another book; Rogers is highly enjoyable and I would eagerly look forward to his next work.