MYSTERY
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Belgian Congo
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King Baudouin I (reign:
1951 – 31 July 1993). and Queen Fabiola of Belgium during a visit to
President Nixon in Washington, May 20, 1969.
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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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The Witch Doctor's Wife
by Tamar Myers
Beautiful!
In
1958, South Carolinian Amanda Brown travels to the Belgian Congo to
oversee a missionary guest house the town of Belle Vue. Against
the backdrop of the mounting forces for independence and the mining
company's race to take as many profits as possible in the meantime, the
relationship of the local witch doctor, Their Death, and his two wives
takes the reader into a more interpersonal struggle, within the family
and with other tribes. The discovery of a huge diamond leads to a
path which will draw together various residents in a web of deals that
sets one against another and draws together others once at odds.
Greed from several sides, corporate and individual,
sets off a dangerous confluence of events and interactions that might
lead to murder itself. As the movement for independence heats up,
Amanda and the witch doctor's family will be tested in ways they never
would have imagined possible.
In THE WITCH DOCTOR'S WIFE,
Tamar Myers, an author born and raised in the Belgian Congo, takes the
reader straight into the heart of that country through the art of
storytelling. Her characters and their interrelationships drive
the story forward, drawing together various stands of seemingly
unconnected story lines, at least at first, from the mysterious
Nigerian's plight to a
local store owner. THE WITCH
DOCTOR'S WIFE gives a fascinating look
into this moment in time and this culture. Characters native to
the area provide amusing and insightful perspectives on the strangeness
of the western culture. The oddness and humor reaches Western
readers in a manner that allows a look at oneself in a new way,
challenging things taken as normal as perhaps not so normal.
Instead of pitting one culture against another, Tamar Myers has a more
generous vision that recognizes the differences of cultures with humor
and humanity. She develops her characters and their
relationships, drawing the reader into the layers of the community to
the depth and undercurrents in their interactions. As the story
develops, this reader found herself pulled back to the community, and
anxiously awaiting the moment to pick up the book again to return to
the richness of the fictional world. The growth
of the main characters throughout the story gives a depth to the story
that leaves one feeling the transformation within the human heart, the
timeless motivations that haunt humanity, and the twist of circumstance
or miracle.
Tamar Myers interweaves the mystery itself so intimately within the
world she creates that the mystery of the diamond develops naturally
rather than the typical mystery scenario of a murder with a
trail through several red herrings to be discounted before the final
mystery is solved. For this reason THE WITCH DOCTOR'S WIFE will
appeal to both fiction and mystery lovers. I love it all the more
for its richness in storytelling and the lush, poetic tenor of the
language! The unfolding of the mystery itself impresses all the
more because it develops from the story itself, from the historical
landscape and intersecting relationships and motivations of the
characters inhabiting that landscape. As the novel progresses,
several unexpected twists and turns lead to shocking acts, and yet acts
that emanate from the growth of her characters. The surprise
ending leaves one breathless, reading it again and again to feel its
full impact. What a wonderful unexpected twist! How well
Tamar Myers leaves the reader with the final look at the mesmerizing
story! Quite simply, THE WITCH
DOCTOR'S WIFE is for readers who want a little more from their
mysteries or a little more from their fiction. This reader would
include THE WITCH DOCTOR'S WIFE as one of the best novels in many
years, one of those
truly "wow" books. If you love
the combination of mystery, literary fiction, and a look at a different
culture and time period, THE WITCH
DOCTOR'S WIFE is a must read. A beautiful story with a delightful
mystical mysterious touch, THE
WITCH DOCTOR'S WIFE is so much more than a mystery.
Publisher: Avon A (October
20, 2009)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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