The Line in the Sand
Synopsis of The Line in the Sand:
Jane and Wale Verity and their twelve-year old daughter, Dele meet Sandman, a local fixer, after a military coup in Roko, West Africa. In revenge for Jane’s colonial past Sandman frames Wale for murder. He kills Jane and rapes Dele.
Ten years later Dele is a medical student. She yearns for revenge, but Sandman is now a member of the ruthless junta, untouchable. Dele meets the cantankerous Mrs Lagbaja. She learns that Confucius, Mrs Lagbaja’s prized African Grey Parrot, has somehow acquired a profane vocabulary. Dele is still trying to make sense of this when Sandman raids Mrs Lagbaja’s house and removes the precious bird.
In Roko, harming an African Grey Parrot is a capital offence. Intrigued by Sandman’s rash actions, Dele suspects that he has a dark secret.
What is the link between Sandman and the profane parrot? Can Dele expose the nefarious Sandman, or will her quest for retribution claim her too?
Themes:
The Line in the Sand is a powerful story about our deep need for justice. I started to write out of a sense of outrage at the war crimes committed around the world. A little girl, Dele Verity is abused by a man who later rises to power. That she is of African and European descent increases her sense of alienation and makes her reflect on cross-generational and racial retribution. Setting the story in an imaginary island off the coast of West Africa gave me the flexibility to address universal themes – evil, retribution and justice.
In writing I hope both to provoke and delight and although I often start writing out of a sense of indignation I also like a laugh. If you want to find out what the profane African Grey Parrot does you will have to read the book.
Links:
http://solaodemuyiwa@amazon.co.uk
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