In The Shadow Of 10,000 Hills by Jennifer Haupt– 384 pages
Book Blurb:
In 1968, Lillian Carlson left Atlanta, disillusioned and heartbroken, after the assassination of Martin Luther King. She found meaning in the hearts of orphaned African children and cobbled together her own small orphanage in the Rift Valley alongside the lush forests of Rwanda.
Three decades later, in New York, Rachel Shepherd, lost and heartbroken herself, embarks on a journey to find the father who abandoned her as a young child, determined to solve the enigma of Henry Shepherd, a now-famous photographer.
When an online search turns up a clue to his whereabouts, Rachel travels to Rwanda to connect with an unsuspecting and uncooperative Lillian. While Rachel tries to unravel the mystery of her father’s disappearance, she finds unexpected allies in an ex-pat doctor running from his past and a young Tutsi woman who lived through a profound experience alongside her father.
My Review: 4.5 stars
In the Shadows of 10,000 Hills came to my attention at just the right time, when I needed escape. It’s a book filled with heartache and hardship as well as love and hope in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide. It’s a story of one family, some by blood and some by association that have survived what so many did not.
Their story is one of thousands from the few left to tell them. This author is a journalist by trade and this is her first foray into fiction. She spent time in Rwanda talking to the people and listening to their histories. From what she saw and learned, she has spun a story that will educate and draw you into Africa.
This is a book that makes you think about our world and the ease in which hate can rise to uncontrollable levels. It’s not only a good book, it’s an important one.
Quotes I liked:
Here’s a bit of wisdom from your old man: It’s the search that really matters, the adventure of living your life.”
-“Rachel vows silently each night before falling asleep, not exactly tired but fully drained from the energy it takes to avoid her husband and their unspoken grief.”
-That’s when it hit Tucker: this soldier wearing a beret and a clip of bullets over his shoulder was only a kid. It all could have been a video game.”
-People say G-d lives in the ten thousand hills of Rwanda. During the genocide, he became lost in the Rift Valley. He wandered for ninety days, tears so thick he couldn’t see straight. It’s a nice story, but I can’t believe it.”
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