Land of the Sun, Land Without Light

by David Michael Litwack

Overview

1967. The Cold War drags on. A hot war becomes even hotter, trusting it to the patriotism of American youth. But Harrison Hamblin answers a different call. To honor his ideals, he joins the Peace Corps as a teacher. He's the one who thinks that he knows a lot but will learn that he knows very little. The third world is choosing sides and angling for aid. Countries will play both sides and manipulate the idealists. And local internecine warfare will carry on as proxies for the Cold War antagonists. So how could Harry's efforts for peace and reconciliation lead to the death of friends and to tragedy and despair?

"When a young Peace Corps volunteer is recruited for a second job, we are thrust into a new heart of darkness and light. A rich, thrilling LeCarre-esque journey into the tribal and geopolitical wars of 1960s Africa" (Kenneth W. Davis, professor emeritus of English, Indiana University).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532064319
Publisher:	Author Solutions Inc
Publication date:	01/28/2019
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.78(d)

Editorial Reviews

2019-11-27
An all-American antihero becomes entangled in Cold War geopolitics while acting as a Peace Corps emissary to North Africa in this historical thriller.

Litwack's (The Mystery of the Big Booger, 2015) novel is presented as a stack of ephemera from Harrison "Harry" Hamblin documenting his experiences from 1967 to '69; he left it in what is presumably newly independent Chad—although a post-postscript reveals orders by his superiors to never reveal precise locations. The reason for such secrecy becomes clear when Harry describes how the U.S. government approached him to be their "eyes and ears" in the area. His clandestine activities entangle him in a morass of local interests, colonial vestiges, and foreign superpowers. The lengthy tale, which proceeds chronologically, is highly fragmented, and its affected realism sometimes makes the plot feel almost incoherent; Litwack only manages to maintain momentum with strong dialogue and a barrage of characters. The diversity of the cast that Hamblin encounters—which include a Soviet doctor, a drunken Irish priest, a Hindu teacher, a tough restaurateur, and an enchanting princess—results in perpetual cultural collisions from which arise discussions about theology, the problem of suffering, and the limits of American exceptionalism. The variety of personalities is indeed entertaining. However, Litwack fails to meaningfully develop any character other than Harry—a former Boy Scout, a heavy drinker of brown liquors, an atheist, and a womanizer who considers himself romantic. Hamblin feels that he's "living the life of Livingston—or Conrad—or Kurtz—or any other of the European figures of this heart of darkness"; at the same time, he's also obsessed with distinguishing himself from other "Nasarah"—a slur generally deployed to denote Europeans—as he embarks on several romantic trysts, visits a leper colony, sends coded messages in the middle of the night, rides into rebel camps, survives debilitating illness, and organizes a high-stakes horse race, all while embedding himself deeper in the region. As tensions bubble over, he and his colleagues attempt a daring escape, with mixed results.

This espionage tale has a strong sense of history but falls short on character development.

Kirkus Reviews