Perhaps not the most inspired of Khadra's books, it is nevertheless an investigation into the depths of the characters' souls. From wealthy Europe - Frankfurt, even, the capital of the European economy - and a suicide that, it will become clear, stems from a profound incapacity to understand what the true values of life are, to Africa, to kidnapping by pirates, to brutal violence that, it will also become clear, stems from the same incapacity. As I said, Khadra has written better, but it is still worth reading.

Khadra's novel tells the incredible story of an ordinary, middle-class German man who loses his wife, travels with a wealthy friend to try to get over the tragedy only to be kidnapped by pirates of the coast of Africa. There are so many different strands to this story that it ended up going in a totally different direction than I first expected, and I found the plot twists and turns enjoyable. Unfortunately I really struggled with another crucial component, the narrative voice, which was jarring, detached and ultimately irritating. I'm sure other readers wouldn't find this a problem, but for me it meant that I really didn't enjoy the book as a whole.