A review by margaret21
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna

5.0

At first this is a straightforward story, narrated by Duro, handyman and hunter, as he comes to the aid of an Englishwoman, Laura who is attempting to refurbish her Croatian holiday home. Gradually secrets are unpicked and revealed. Small-town rivalries. Duro's first and best love, Anka. And the atrocities of civil war, and what that does to a community that had previously lived together more or less in harmony. Forna creates a vivid landscape, describes dark secrets, long-festering divisions. This is a rewarding, immersive book whose initial apparently simple story line evolves into something richer and more complex. A book to re-read.