This book describes beautifully the heat, dust and tension as we follow five very different people at the Sudan–South Sudan border. While it can feel unbearably tense and at times shocking, there are also moments of humour and tenderness between the characters that will keep you wanting more. This novel will appeal to those seeking politically aware character-driven literary fiction with a strong sense of place.
Everything reminded him of his poverty. Innocent objects around the compound, such as Alex's beautiful wash bag hanging off a nail in the bathroom. Its luxurious gleam of blue nylon. […] He wanted the multicoloured pens and pencils that Alex marked his maps with. He wanted Dena's CD player that enveloped his ears in a river of sound. He wanted a computer like the one Alex kept in his office, on which he could learn to type. He wanted Dena's camera, which was the world's most expensive toy. And Dena's battery-powered toothbrush, which, when he secretly used it, made his skull buzz. […]
As he watched them, his mind returned to the man who'd come to him under the tree after the police stole his things back in December. His name was Deng, and he said he might have work for him.
'What kind of work?' Mustafa had asked.
‘I need someone to deliver things.’
‘What things?’
‘This is between us, do you understand?’
Mustafa nodded.
Deng looked up and down the street then, to make sure no one was listening.
Then he said, 'Guns, to the rebels in the bush.'
