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A review by lelandbuck
Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell
5.0
[I'm not a big review writer, but I've just finished this little book and noticed there are no reviews yet written. I can't let a challenge like that go unanswered.:]
Despite the very hard subject of this book (children and landmines) this is a beautiful story. Mankell is a master craftsman who turned his talents to a very important issue. The result is a most noteworthy and memorable story.
Henning Mankell is one of Sweden's most talented and prolific writers. His fame in the U.S. centers mostly on his Kurt Wallander mysteries. However, as Secrets in the Fire clearly demonstrates, Mankell's reach goes far beyond the body of his Wallander crime novels.
Fans of Mankell should definitely read Secrets in the Fire as should anyone with an interest in the cause of landmine victims. This is a cause which has been championed by Princess Diana, Heather Mills and many others, but remains one of the greatest tragedies of the modern world (every 30 seconds an innocent person is maimed or killed by a landmine; UNICEF reports 30-40% of these are children under the age of 15). Secrets in the Fire is not an easy book to read. It resolutely portrays the violence these pernicious devices inflict, and the book has some very difficult and sad moments. Ultimately, it is a story of survival and renewal for a wonderful little girl named Sofia.
Despite the very hard subject of this book (children and landmines) this is a beautiful story. Mankell is a master craftsman who turned his talents to a very important issue. The result is a most noteworthy and memorable story.
Henning Mankell is one of Sweden's most talented and prolific writers. His fame in the U.S. centers mostly on his Kurt Wallander mysteries. However, as Secrets in the Fire clearly demonstrates, Mankell's reach goes far beyond the body of his Wallander crime novels.
Fans of Mankell should definitely read Secrets in the Fire as should anyone with an interest in the cause of landmine victims. This is a cause which has been championed by Princess Diana, Heather Mills and many others, but remains one of the greatest tragedies of the modern world (every 30 seconds an innocent person is maimed or killed by a landmine; UNICEF reports 30-40% of these are children under the age of 15). Secrets in the Fire is not an easy book to read. It resolutely portrays the violence these pernicious devices inflict, and the book has some very difficult and sad moments. Ultimately, it is a story of survival and renewal for a wonderful little girl named Sofia.