The White Shadow

Andrea Eames

 

Synopsis

"Look after your sister, Tinashe." Tinashe is a young Shona boy living in a small village in rural Rhodesia. The guerilla war of the late 1960s haunts the bushlands, but it only infrequently affects his quiet life; school, swimming in the river, playing with the other kids on the kopje. When his younger sister, Hazvinei, is born, Tinashe knows at once that there is something special about her. Their life in the village, once disturbed only by the occasional visits of his successful uncle and city cousin, Abel, now becomes entangled with the dual forces of the Shona spirit world and the political turmoil of the nation. As Tinashe, Hazvinei, and Abel grow older, their destinies entangle in ways they never expected. Tinashe is prepared to follow his sister anywhere—but how far can he go to keep her safe when the forces threatening her are so much darker and more sinister than he suspected? Andrea Eames weaves together folklore and suspense in this compelling tale of a boy struggling to do the right thing in an unpredictable world.

Review

[Eames] grew up in Zimbabwe and conveys a strong sense of political turmoil enflamed by sinister witch doctors, brutal guerilla factions and superstitious misogyny . . . compelling. — The Guardian

Author

Andrea Eames was brought up in Zimbabwe, where she attended a Jewish school for six years, a Hindu school for one, a Catholic convent school for two and a half, and then the American International School in Harare for two years. Andrea's family moved to New Zealand in 2002.