Elaine Hansen

A beautifully written, powerful book. You will remember this book long after you have read it.

Although in many ways a beautiful book evoking the cities and amazonian forest changes in Colombia over half a century, l did not like this book. The two main characters were unsympathetic, especially the immoral pedophile protagonist who used women for his sexual pleasure then discarded them when he no longer had need of them , sometimes with disastrous consequences. He was also an obsessive who didn't care about the damage his company was doing to the rainforest. Why would the writer hold him up as a model of constancy? The translation was also clumsy .

The story traces the escape route taken by two Syrian refugees from Aleppo to England. The reader gains an insight into the trials and horrors refugees endure. Written by a young woman with experience working in the camps and Hope centre in Athens, it has the ring of authenticity. The triumph of the bond of human relationships wins over the evil exploitation men can do, especially to those who are weak and desperate. One is still left with a feeling of Hope.