THE OTHER HAND by Chris Cleave (R199,95, Hodder)
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Jane Vorster
What would you sacrifice to save the life of a complete stranger? This is the dilemma British holidaymaker Sarah O’Rourke faces on a beach in Nigeria when she encounters a young local girl in harrowing circumstances. She makes her decision and in that moment she and 16-year-old Little Bee forge a connection that will haunt her forever.
Two years later after stowing away on a cargo ship Little Bee arrives on Sarah’s doorstep. With the chapters narrated alternately by Little Bee and Sarah, the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when two such different worlds collide. But it’s the details he skims over that keep the reader hooked - from the first chapter you want to know what it was that drove Little Bee to make such an arduous journey. And why is there only a stump where Sarah’s middle finger used to be? A deeply disturbing yet richly rewarding read.
THE SACRED BLOOD by Michael Byrnes (R194,95, Simon & Schuster)
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Kevin Jacobs
Was Jesus ultimately just human? The question, which could have tectonic repercussions in global Christian dogma, is the core of this novel, the second dealing with a continuing theme by Michael Byrnes.
In the first book, The Sacred Bones, American geneticist Dr Charlotte Hennesy is asked to examine unexplained bones found in an ancient ossuary. Under laboratory tests the remains of a crucified man yield astounding DNA secrets which now suggest Dr Hennesy - apparently cured of cancer very quickly by the bones’ intervention - carries the promise of miracle healing in her blood. It makes her extremely valuable, and a target for a secretive group preparing to achieve ancient Biblical prophesies – by murder and war if necessary.
Highly entertaining if you aren’t offended by a dramatised fictional treatment of religious history.
