Leopard At The Door
When Rachel returns to Kenya after six years
back in England following the death of her mother, she isn't sure what to
expect. While she's been in England at boarding school and under the care of
her grandparents, she has longed to be back with her father and back in the
country she loves and that feels like home.
But when she arrives, things have changed.
Her reunion with her father isn't as she'd hoped and she discovers that he has
moved another woman, along with her son, into the family home. It's the early
1950s and the political scene has changed as well, so the story unfolds against
a backdrop of the Mau Mau uprising.
Things aren't just uncomfortable for Rachel
in her new situation, they are actively dangerous as she realizes that she no
longer has any idea who she can trust.
The historical details of this story are
convincing and give a very authentic feel of the experience of the moral
conundrum of being at the centre of colonial unrest. And there are some
interesting flashbacks to things that happened when Rachel was previously in
Kenya as a child and that, to her adult self, begin to fill in the gaps in her
knowledge of what is going on.
Jennifer McVeigh skillfully builds up a sense
of menace, of claustrophobic fear and encroaching violence, which rises to a
crescendo as everything that Rachel holds dear is threatened. Along the way the
themes of betrayal, sexual tension and identity are explored.
I found this an entrancing, sometimes uncomfortable, and complex read and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a completely
absorbing novel with an unusual setting and great characters. Rachel's story is
thought provoking, emotional and will stay with you long after you have
finished the book.
All in all, a very accomplished and enjoyable read.
Thanks very much to the
publishers for a review copy of this book.
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