The Other Side of the Mountain - Fiona Cane

"It’s 2001, and amidst the political turmoil in Haiti, three disparate lives collide: Yolande, an impoverished farmer desperately looking for the sister her abusive husband has sold into slavery; Maddy, an eager British journalist on her first overseas assignment, set on making a name for herself; and Clare, an ex-pat gynaecologist who’s devoted the past eight years to healing Haiti’s downtrodden women. Divided by language, lifestyle and personality yet all driven by painful memories buried in their pasts, the three women unite to search for the missing child. It’s a quest that takes them deep into the city’s underworld, where poverty is rife, black magic thrives and violence is king; a world in which appearances can be deceptive and where survival is by no means certain."

Wow - this was definitely not what I was expecting from this novel. I was sent a copy in exchange for an honest review and liked the look of it from the blurb, but once I started reading I was completely hooked. With a gripping plot line, incredibly strong characters and a narrative that brings Haiti to live there isn't really anything not to like. Fiona Cane's descriptions of life in Haiti are beautiful - I've never been there and have no clue what it is like, but Fiona's writing brings it to life in all it's colourful glory. 
I loved the characters - Yolande, Clare and Maddie all have their issues and reading about their developing relationships together was intriguing. There were enough secrets throughout the novel to keep the pages turning quickly - the secrets are hinted at throughout and ensure that the reader is kept engaged the whole way through. It's quite an emotional read and the thought that at least some of the novel is based on events that actually occurred in real life is quite disturbing. In short, I loved it, and it kept me thinking about the characters long after I had finished reading. 

The Other Side of the Mountain is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk

**My thanks to the author for my review copy**