Alexandra Fuller (best known for her memoir, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood) writes about her marriage and its slow unravel in her new memoir, Leaving Before the Rains Come. She describes her husband as “the perfect rescuer” who would save her from the chaos of her family and their life in Africa, and juxtaposes him with stories of her father who declared “boring” to be the worst possible sin. Leaving Before the Rains Come is written with wit and candor; it’s a raw exploration of one’s self that is both unabashed and elegant.

“Long after the divorce was final [...]