THE AFRICAN EQUATION

amp;quot;Khadra brings us deep into the hearts and minds of people living in unspeakable mental anguish. amp;quot;-- amp;quot;Los Angeles Times amp;quot; amp;quot;A skilled storyteller working at the height of his powers. amp;quot;-- amp;quot;Times Literary Supplement amp;quot; amp;quot;Like all the great storytellers of history, [Khadra] espouses the contradictions of his characters, who carry in themselves the entirety of the human condition. amp;quot;-- amp;quot;Le Point amp;quot;A new masterpiece from the author of amp;quot;The Swallows of Kabul. amp;quot;Frankfurt MD Kurt Krausmann is devastated by his wife's suicide. Unable to make sense of what happened, Kurt agrees to join his friend Hans on a humanitarian mission to the Comoros. But, sailing down the Red Sea, their boat is boarded by Somali pirates and the men are taken hostage.The arduous journey to the pirates' desert hideout is only the beginning of Kurt's odyssey. He endures imprisonment and brutality at the hands of captors whose failings are all too human.As the situation deteriorates, it is fellow prisoner, Bruno, a long-time resident in Af