Secrets in the Fire

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Secrets in the Fire
Cover to a recent Eng. Trans. edition
Author Henning Mankell
Translator Anne Connie Stuksrud
Country Sweden
Language Swedish
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher Allen & Unwin (Eng. trans.)
Released 1995 (orig Swedish edition) & 1 May 2000 (Eng. trans.)
Media Type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 168 pp (Eng. trans. edition, hardback)
ISBN ISBN 1-86508-181-7 (Eng. trans. edition, hardback)

Secrets in the Fire is a novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell. It was published in 1995 and was translated into English by Anne Connie Stuksrud.

[edit] Plot summary

It is the wise old woman of the village who teaches young Sofia about the secrets in the fire. Within the flames hide all things past and all things yet to be. But not even old Muazena can see the horrors the fire holds for Sofia and her family -- not the murderous bandits who drive them from their home, and not the land mine that takes Sofia's legs.

In her long journey toward recovery, Sofia must still deal with growing up. Along the way, she discovers friends, and foes, in places she'd never expected. Through it all, Sofia draws on a strength she never knew she had, a fire of her own that's been a secret all along.

[edit] Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

Real-life land mine victim Sofia Alface is the inspiration for Henning Mankell's stunning novel which puts a very human face on the suffering in Africa.