A new masterpiece fr om the autho r of The Swallows of Kabul.

Frankfurt MD Kurt Kraussman is devastated by his wife's suicide. Unable to make sense of what happened, Kurt agrees to join his friend Hans on a humanitarian mission to the Como r os. But, sailing down the Red Sea, their boat is boarded by Somali pirates a nd the men are taken hostage.

The arduous journey to the pirate A new masterpiece fr om the autho r of The Swallows of Kabul.

Frankfurt MD Kurt Kraussman is devastated by his wife's suicide. Unable to make sense of what happened, Kurt agrees to join his friend Hans on a humanitarian mission to the Como r os. But, sailing down the Red Sea, their boat is boarded by Somali pirates a nd the men are taken hostage.

The arduous journey to the pirates' desert hideout is only the beginning of Kurt's odyssey. He endures imprisonment a nd brutality at the ha nds of capto r s whose failings are all too human.

As the situation deterio r ates, it is fellow prisoner, Bruno, a long-time resident in Africa, who shows Kurt another side to the wounded yet defiant continent he loves.

A giant of francophone writing, Algerian autho r Yasmina Khadra takes current events as a starting point to explo r e opposing views a nd myths of Africa a nd the West, ultimately delivering a powerful message of friendship, resilience a nd redemption.

Yasmina Khadra is the pen name of Mohammed Moulessehoul, a fo r mer Algerian army officer a nd now directo r of the Algerian Cultural Center in Paris. In November 2013, he announced his ca ndidacy fo r the presidency of Algeria.