NEW BOOK: SOMALI KISS by Michael C. Wood
Shirene Dovey
Somali Kiss by Michael C. Wood has been published by Just Done Productions R150
Mike Wood, who lives in Knysna,
published his debut novel Warm Heart in 2008. He has now turned a
critical eye to Somalia
– a failed state which remains in the news for all the wrong reasons - connections
to al Qaeda’s terror network, overcrowded refugee camps, widespread
drought, crop failure, and piracy. In such a malevolent environment, what
chance could there be for love to flourish?
Just Done Productions - Publishing is delighted to announce the publication of Somali Kiss, a gripping page-turner where the action switches intriguingly between Somalia, London and Kenya.
Predicated on a series of extraordinary coincidences, the story contrasts the fortunes of Amina Abdullahi, beautiful daughter of a wealthy Somali merchant, and Stewart Munro, a Scottish tobacco trader. Their paths briefly intertwine in Mogadishu. An unlikely relationship seems on the cards, but circumstances conspire against them. Amina is forced to flee the capital when her brother is embroiled in retaliatory action against soldiers persecuting the Isaq clan. In her bid to reach Kenya’s porous border, Amina falls prey to Somali bandits and seems destined to be trafficked to Djibouti as a sex slave. She is rescued by a Maasai gun-runner (Nimrod) who has his own dark reasons for wanting to bring an end to Somalia’s decaying regime.
The eventual fall of President Siad Barre and the rise of war lords in Mogadishu foreshadow a long period of lawlessness and chaos in Somalia. Amina and Nimrod retreat to the tiny coastal village of Kaambooni. Their relative peace and security is shattered by unexpected external elements, moving the pair in desperation, to embark on their own very different brand of piracy.
Munro’s anguished early efforts to trace Amina are thwarted. As time passes he takes up with a Kenyan beauty (Jamila Ngugi). The couple endure a double tragedy which propels them to leave Africa. But Amina’s involvement in hijacking the Kofi Koranteng has attracted publicity in the international press, and motivates Munro to renew his search for a lost love. When he finally tracks her down in Kaambooni, he finds they have a dangerous acquaintance in common, causing a long suppurating hatred to rise to the surface.
Mike’s first novel was praised as ‘enthralling yet disturbing, packed with excitement and African atmosphere.’ The publishers are confident that readers will find as much and more in Somali Kiss.
To order
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Also available internationally on Lulu