"Ethiopia, 1935. With the threat of Mussolini's army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie's army, rushes to mobilise his strongest men before the Italians invade.

Hirut and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When the Emperor goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope, it is Hirut who offers a plan to maintain morale. But how could she have predicted her own personal war is still to come, as a prisoner of one of Italy's most vicious officers?" (back cover)

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2020.
Canongate Books 2020 (paperback). 429 pages. (Original 2019.)

The book goes next to a BC friend as a reading loan. Enjoy!

Thank you for your kind offer. This book helps me to travel around the world book by book.