In war torn Sri Lanka, Saja walks hot coals for the chance to ask a clairvoyant priest about the fate of her husband, who has mysteriously disappeared.
In Venezuela, a young Wayuu girl named Yonna discovers her entire family has been slaughtered, the victims of a tribal vendetta.
In South Africa, a baby girl named Taraji is born to a rape victim and placed in an orphanage.
A BETTER WORLD follows the lives of three women, each facing dire circumstances due to war and violence. Life has not been fair to them, but they are determined to move forward despite the enormous hurdles presented by their respective, dismal plights.
Each woman’s story stands on its own and represents a journey in which lives must be reinvented in order for the protagonists to survive and thrive. Readers will admire Saja’s bravery as she is given refugee status and relocated to Denmark, Yonna’s willingness to exchange work for a roof over her head, and Taraji’s struggle to accept the troubling circumstances of her birth.
At the end of each story, however, there is a feeling of incompleteness, a sense that there should be more to the story. There is also an expectation that the lives of the three women will somehow cross; when they don’t, readers stand to feel disappointed.
Of the three stories, Taraji’s seems to be an awkward fit since her experiences as an adoptee don’t compare to the extreme, life-shattering tragedies of Saja and Yonna. This unbalances the book as a whole, and deepens the feeling that something beyond gender and tragedy is needed for cohesiveness.
The author uses rich descriptions and authentic terminology to make each woman’s world real for the reader. The smell of incense and lemongrass, the taste of Rooibos tea, the clink of the oracle’s bangle bracelets – these kinds of details engage the senses and make the stories come to life. A glossary at the back of the book is a nice touch and will help readers understand some of the more complicated language.
The exotic settings and historical elements of each tale provide insights into what it’s like to be a woman living in unsettled regions. Though the stories end a bit too abruptly, leaving the reader wanting more is not entirely a bad thing.
A BETTER WORLD will appeal to readers who enjoy books that highlight the strengths of women or who like to root for the down-and-out.
~IndieReader.