Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Garden of Burning Sand by Corban Addison


First Line: The girl walked alone on the darkened street.

Zoe Fleming has no use for her tycoon father or his political aspirations. She is a human rights attorney who has made a home and a life for herself in Zambia. When a young girl with Down syndrome is raped in a Lusaka slum, Zoe joins Zambian police officer Joseph Kabuta in investigating the brutal crime. Clues from the young girl's past uncover a connection between the girl-- Kuyeya, whose name means "memory"-- and a powerful Zambian family who will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Sometimes I need to read a book that tells the story of a group of people who give their all to do good despite everything the powerful and corrupt do to stop them. The Garden of Burning Sand was perfect for the job.

Corban Addison has the welcome knack of honestly portraying brutality without being graphic. In doing so, he tells us some home truths: the prevalence of child rape in sub-Saharan Africa, and the uphill battle to eradicate AIDs. When all the evidence Zoe and the others gathered in Kuyeya's case went to trial, I didn't really expect the outcome-- partially because everyone concerned put their lives in very real danger by fighting for this child. 

The story in The Garden of Burning Sand is compelling, the setting puts the reader right in the middle of the action, and the characters make you want to take the next flight to join in their fight. I will certainly be looking for more books by Corban Addison.  

The Garden of Burning Sand by Corban Addison
ISBN: 9781623653866
Quercus © 2015
Paperback, 400 pages

Contemporary Fiction, Standalone
Rating: A
Source: Paperback Swap


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