That Devil’s Madness
Transit Lounge Publishing: 2016
ISBN: 9871921924989
In 1896 Louis and his father, seduced by the allure of North Africa, travel to Algeria in search of a better life. There, Louis befriends Imez, a Berber boy, and the two become firm friends. They grow and prosper, and become like brothers.
Years later, Nicolette, an Australian photojournalist, is drawn to cover the illness and eventual death of Algerian President Boumedienne. She sees it as an opportunity to follow her in grandfather’s footsteps, make her mark, and restore the bonds of the past. But the rules have changed – will the bonds that once existed be sufficient for her to survive?
That Devil’s Madness tells of the often heart-rending tensions that exist between idealism and duty, between friendship and loyalty to one’s country – of the struggle for freedom, dignity and respect. Dramatic, honest and shockingly relevant to today’s world situation, the novel is driven by finely crafted characters, exquisite prose and razor-sharp drama and mystery.
‘A kind of Quiet American set in Algiers, a unique densely crafted novel in which the various strands of story-DNA – part multi-generational family saga, part Greene-land war zone, part Camus-like moral maze – entwine with the DNA of its characters – pieds noirs, Berbers, Australians – in a formal, satisfying helix.’
Peter Goldsworthy, author of Maestro, Three Dog Night and His Stupid Boyhood. #MustRead #Algeria #histfic #histnovel