The Garden of Burning Sand

February 3, 2014
Addison’s follow-up to A Walk Across the Sun stars lawyer Zoe Fleming—an idealist at odds with her seemingly cutthroat father, Senator Jack Fleming, a presidential candidate—as she works on a child’s rape case in Lusaka, Zambia, her adopted home. Having been assaulted herself as an adult, Zoe feels a particular connection to the Down syndrome–afflicted victim, Kuyeya Mizinga, a prostitute’s daughter. Alongside taciturn policeman Joseph Kabuta, Zoe searches for witnesses in slum neighborhoods, eventually connecting the crime to a politically influential HIV-positive television producer. Zoe and Joseph are unwavering in their search for the truth, even as witnesses are murdered and evidence vanishes. Through their discoveries, Addison brings to light persistent myths about AIDS in Zambia: the families of the HIV-positive are considered cursed, AIDS drugs are avoided, and sex with virgins is prescribed as a panacea. By setting this story against the backdrop of Zambia’s rocky presidential election, Addison ratchets up the tension and makes the already-palpable threat of violence against Zoe and her cohorts more real. Meanwhile, the developing romance between Joseph and Zoe comes off as surprisingly credible, despite the crowded storyline. Though certain plot points would have benefited from some restraint, the result is satisfying. Agent: Dan Raines, Creative Trust Inc.

May 15, 2014
In Zambia, Kuyeya-a teenage girl with Down syndrome-is raped, and American human rights lawyer Zoe Fleming dedicates herself to finding the attacker and bringing him to justice.Zoe was sexually assaulted as a teenager herself, by the son of a crony of her father, Jack Fleming, now a senator seeking the nomination for president. She inherited a love of Africa from her late mother. Because Kuyeya's attacker is the son of a former cabinet minister, Zoe and her fellow attorneys must get past all manner of obstacles orchestrated by the corrupt system in order to pursue their case. The closer Zoe gets to the girl, whose trauma she eases by playing Johnny Cash songs, the more driven and fearless she becomes. Her investigation reveals complicated ties between the attacker's family and that of Kuyeya, whose mother was a prostitute who died of AIDS. Zoe also becomes close to the local police investigator-who has his own secret to conceal. The novel is part mystery, part courtroom drama, part family saga and part political polemic-in boldly opposing her father's plan to cut AIDS funding for Africa, Zoe stands to hurt his campaign-while managing to form a cohesive whole. Addison is out of his element with the thug who threatens Zoe-a hulking stock character the author ultimately doesn't know what to do with-but that's the only false note.Addison's second novel (A Walk Across the Sun, 2013) is both an affecting tale of a tragically abused girl and a convincing plea for humanitarian support in Africa.

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February 1, 2014

Addison (A Walk Across the Sun) delivers another compelling novel exposing human rights violations. Instead of India, readers this time are sent to Africa, where child sexual assault runs rampant amid AIDs, corruption, and a lack of DNA labs. Zoe Fleming, daughter of a high-profile politician, is an American attorney working for a nonprofit legal organization based in Zambia. When Kuyeya, a disabled African child, is raped, investigators begin to unravel a scandalous history involving prominent business leaders, doctors, and Kuyeya's mother. Passion fuels Zoe and her colleagues as they fight legal injustices and dangerous adversaries in an attempt to bring the man responsible to justice. Kuyeya and her story are fiction, but Addison's novel connects readers to real-world injustices alive and well on the African continent today. VERDICT A sense of urgency will keep readers engrossed, and, despite the tragedy depicted, they will also find comforting themes connected to love and family. Fans of Addison's first novel and readers who enjoy socially conscious fiction will want this. [100,000-copy first printing; ten-city tour.]--Andrea Brooks, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
As Zoe Fleming awaits her summons to address the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, she recalls the circumstances that brought her to this place, an experience that has put her at public odds with her estranged father, a presidential candidate. While working in Zambia as a lawyer for a nonprofit agency combating human rights abuses, Zoe accompanied a police officer to interview a girl found raped and wandering the streets. Zoe's compassion and emotional connection with the child, an orphan with Down syndrome named Kuyeya, incited an anger that had been simmering in her for years, and she joined forces with the cop to find the rapist. Medical, legal, and cultural roadblocks made arrest and prosecution difficult, but Zoe determined to help Kuyeya and do her best to push Zambia one step further into the twenty-first century. Whether she is as passionate about mending her relationship with her father is a different matter. Addison's human rights agenda tends to overwhelm his story, but in dealing bluntly with crucial issues such as rape, AIDS, superstition, and poverty, he effectively touches the consciousness of his readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)