Island on the Edge of the World…

About the Book:

From the author of the international bestseller The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, comes a captivating story set in the colourful but chaotic land of Haiti, as four very different women work together to find a lost child.

Haiti. A poor country rich in courage, strength and love. As these four women are about to discover.

Charlie, the rootless daughter of American missionaries, now working as a hairdresser in Northern California. But the repercussions of a traumatic childhood far from home have left her struggling for her way in life.

Bea, Charlie’s eccentric grandmother, who is convinced a reunion with her estranged mother will help Charlie heal.

Lizbeth, a Texas widow who has never strayed too far from home. She is on a daunting journey into the unknown, searching for the grandchild she never knew existed.

And Senzey, a young Haitian mother dealing with a lifetime of love and loss, who shows them the true meaning of bravery.

Together they venture through the teeming, colourful streets of Port-au-Prince, into the worlds of do-gooders doing more harm than good, Voodoo practitioners, artists, activists, and everyday Haitian men and women determined to survive against all odds.

For Charlie, Bea, Lizbeth and Senzey, life will never be the same again.

---

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy fiction that takes me to far-flung places. In Island on the Edge of the World, Deborah Rodriguez takes her readers through the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, one of the most densely populated, least developed, and poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Her affection for this country along with her knowledge about it was evident throughout. This novel has a lively and realistic atmosphere and it was refreshing to learn about another country whilst reading such an engaging story.

Island on the Edge of the World is fiction with a social conscience, something I regard highly and often look for in a book. The characters were well fleshed out, their interactions with each other realistically represented. Personally, I liked the more spiritual side of the story, particularly the parts that elaborated on Voodoo: what it is, what the myths are, and what it means to everyday Haitians. As is often the way with commercial fiction, the story does tie up very neatly and there is more of a happily ever after than what you might suppose for a story set in Haiti, but I’ll forgive it this on account of how splendidly entertaining it was in its entirety.

I highly recommend Island on the Edge of the World to readers of all tastes. I think it would make a fabulously entertaining movie, both in its storyline and the more serious themes it conveys – I am just not sure about the feasibility of filming in Haiti. However, you never know, no harm comes from hope!

☕☕☕☕

---

Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of Island on the Edge of the World for review.

---

About the Author:

Deborah Rodriguez is the author of the international bestsellers The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. She has also written two memoirs: The Kabul Beauty School, about her life in Afghanistan, and The House on Carnaval Street, on her experiences following her return to America. She spent five years teaching and later directing the Kabul Beauty School, the first modern beauty academy and training salon in Afghanistan.
Deborah also owned the Oasis Salon and the Cabul Coffee House, and is the founder of the non-profit organization Oasis Rescue, which aims to teach women in post-conflict and disaster-stricken areas the art of hairdressing.
She currently lives in Mazatlán, Mexico, where she owns Tippy Toes salon and spa.

---

Island on the Edge of the World
Published by Penguin Random House Australia – Imprint: Bantam Australia
Released 5th November 2019

#IslandontheEdgeoftheWorld #BlogTour