Masaba
A Novel
By Peter Drinkwater
June 2004
Book Guild
Distributed by Trans-Atlantic Publications
ISBN: 1857768388
321 pages, 6 ¼” x 9 ½”
$39.95 Hardcover
Against the vivid backdrop of Africa, lecturer Scott Haywood and his wife
Kathy are making a new life together. Everything is fresh and exciting
for them on their arrival in 1969 in the small Ugandan town of Mbale, at
the foot of Masaba – the giant volcanic mountain that an old priest
has dubbed the ‘mountain of tears’.
Such is the stunning
beauty of their surroundings that Scott believes he has stumbled upon a paradise,
a view not shared by the vivacious Kathy, who becomes lonely and apprehensive. Before
long, their marriage is heading towards a crisis. Kathy feels neglected
and Scott is painfully aware of his growing attraction to the dark and mysterious
daughter of a friend.
The British community at Mbale, with its golf,
sundowners and evenings at the Club, is rife with gossip and innuendo. Misunderstanding
and malice spell disaster for Scott and Kathy, but as Idi Amin’s reign
of terror begins, half-forgotten incidents from the past take on fresh significance
and there are old scores to be settled that put their lives in danger.
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