Newly widowed Deborah needs some meaning in her life so she volunteers with the Scottish Refugee Council. She is paired up as a mentor with Abdi Hassan, a Somalian refugee who has escaped to the UK with his young daughter Rebecca. The book is told in Deborah and Abdi's voices in alternating chapters, and whilst Abdi says at the beginning that he would rather have been mentored by a man, the two soon form a bond of friendship.
A chance conversation with Rebecca leads Deborah back to the refugee camp in Africa where Abdi had been staying, and from here the thread of credulity is stretched very thin until the book's ending.
This book gives a heart-breaking insight into the lives of refugees, how they are haunted by their past and terrified by cultural differences in their adopted countries. It's also full of interesting, well-drawn and believable characters. A very enjoyable book, let down by its ending.
No comments:
Post a Comment