A Treacherous Paradise

Journey. We readers demand much from the fiction we select to read: we want to be entertained by an interesting story that engages us (plot); we want to recognize authentic human behavior from characters that are as deep and as complicated as ourselves; we expect dialogue to ring true to the language we speak and hear; and we want the descriptive language to make us believe we can see the setting where the action occurs. Henning Mankell did all those things for me in his novel, A Treacherous Paradise. The rags to riches story of protagonist Hanna Lundmark on her journey from Sweeden to Portuguese East Africa in the early twentieth century maintained my interest. Her ownership of a brothel with a monkey as her closest friend may pique your interest. Mankell used the issues of poverty, wealth, racism, gender equality, and colonialism as a backdrop to action that revealed how difficult it is for us live in community with respect and understanding of our differences. Readers who like strong female protagonists and unusual settings are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase A Treacherous Paradise from amazon.com.