Since living in West Africa, I have found some of my favorite reads to be by authors from the region. This was a tough but good book to read.

The story of two very different sisters. The older sister, Cheta, is tough and outspoken, while Zam, the younger sister, is more meek and preferred by her mother. Their mother is very domineering and abusive. Zam tries to stay under the radar where her mom and sister are involved. Dad is just there. He stays uninvolved and is probably beaten down by the mother. Ultimately, Zam has the good fortune to move in with her wealthy aunt and her family. Of course this causes further conflict between the girls.

The story is rough but good and I look forward to being able to read this author’s next book.