Really extraordinary post-apocalyptic fantasy set in Sudan. A lot of elements here are taken from - I don't really want to say "inspired by", as horror never strikes me positively as a source of inspiration - the ethnic warfare experienced in the Sudan today, so there's a lot of violence, particularly sexual violence. That makes this a difficult read in places, but it's never, I think, an exploitative one. Rape is so frequently and poorly used in fantasy as a shorthand for evil, a sort of continual nasty background, but here it's not simply there to provide a lazy impression of badness. The effects of sexual assault - on the individual woman, on her resulting child, on the society around them, are explored in what is genuinely compassionate detail. If this story is about anything, it's about recovery after evil, and how to make choices that prove you different to what's gone before. As such it's a quietly empowering read, strength and purpose and responsibility all tied up together with hope. I've been reading a library copy and I'm going to have to get one of my own, because I'll certainly be wanting to read this book again.