Adolescents Elizabeth and Tururu--she's white, he's black--share an uneasy friendship on a remote sisal plantation in 1953's Zimbabwe. Resentment to white rule erupts throwing them into the crossfire of political change and ancient ritual.Â
To make matters worse, a clash between Tururu's witchdoctor grandmother and her apprentice unleash ancient fire spirits that will make the British overlords look like saints. Will their friendship survive?Â
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The novel's dual viewpoints afford an intimate glimpse into the two faces of a country at a crucial time in its history.