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Borderlines
The debut novel by a British writer with nearly two decades of African experience – a compelling courtroom drama and a gritty, aromatic evocation of place, inspired by recent events.
British lawyer Paula Shackleton is mourning a lost love when a small man in a lemon-coloured suit accosts her over breakfast in a Boston hotel. Winston Peabody represents the African state of North Darrar, embroiled in a border arbitration case with its giant neighbour. He needs help with the hearings in The Hague, Paula needs to forget the past.
She flies to the state’s capital determined to lose herself in work, but soon discovers that even jobs taken with the purest intentions can involve moral compromise. Taking testimony in scorching refugee camps, delving into the colonial past, she becomes increasingly uneasy about her role. Budding friendships with a scarred former rebel and an idealistic young doctor whittle away at her pose of sardonic indifference, until Paula finds herself taking a step no decent lawyer should ever contemplate.
Michela Wrong has been writing about Africa for two decades. In this taut legal thriller, rich with the Horn of Africa’s colours and aromas, she probes the motives underlying Western engagement with the continent, questioning the value of universal justice and exploring how history itself is forged. Above all her first novel is the story of a young woman’s anguished quest for redemption.
British lawyer Paula Shackleton is mourning a lost love when a small man in a lemon-coloured suit accosts her over breakfast in a Boston hotel. Winston Peabody represents the African state of North Darrar, embroiled in a border arbitration case with its giant neighbour. He needs help with the hearings in The Hague, Paula needs to forget the past.
She flies to the state’s capital determined to lose herself in work, but soon discovers that even jobs taken with the purest intentions can involve moral compromise. Taking testimony in scorching refugee camps, delving into the colonial past, she becomes increasingly uneasy about her role. Budding friendships with a scarred former rebel and an idealistic young doctor whittle away at her pose of sardonic indifference, until Paula finds herself taking a step no decent lawyer should ever contemplate.
Michela Wrong has been writing about Africa for two decades. In this taut legal thriller, rich with the Horn of Africa’s colours and aromas, she probes the motives underlying Western engagement with the continent, questioning the value of universal justice and exploring how history itself is forged. Above all her first novel is the story of a young woman’s anguished quest for redemption.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2015
7 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Michela Wrong
6 books248 followersHalf-Italian, half-British, Michela Wrong was born in 1961. She grew up in London and took a degree in Philosophy and Social Sciences at Jesus College, Cambridge and a diploma in journalism at Cardiff.
She joined Reuters news agency in the early 1980s and was posted as a foreign correspondent to Italy, France and Ivory Coast. She became a freelance journalist in 1994, when she moved to then-Zaire and found herself covering both the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda and the final days of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko for the BBC and Reuters. She later moved to Kenya, where she spent four years covering east, west and central Africa for the Financial Times newspaper.
In 2000 she published her first book, "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz", the story of Mobutu's rise and fall, which won a PEN prize for non-fiction. Her second book, "I didn't do it for you", which focused on the little-written-about Red Sea nation of Eritrea, came out in 2005 and was hailed as a "gripping political thriller" by Monica Ali.
Her third book, published in February 2009, was "It's Our Turn to Eat", which tracks the story of Kenyan corruption whistleblower John Githongo, who sought refuge in her London flat. Boycotted by Nairobi bookshops terrified of being sued, it has become an underground bestseller in Kenya, distributed by local churches, radio stations and non-governmental groups and debated in town hall meetings. Described as reading "like a cross between Le Carre and Solzhenitsyn", it has triggered expressions of interest from US and South African film directors. It was named as one of the Economist's "best books of 2009" and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.
Michela Wrong's non-fiction books on contemporary Africa aim to be accessible to both members of the general public and experts in the field. They have become a must-read for diplomats, aid officials, journalists and strategists based on the continent and regularly feature on the "required reading" lists of International Relations and African Studies courses at university. She was awarded the 2010 James Cameron prize for journalism "that combined moral vision and professional integrity
She currently lives in London and is regularly interviewed by the BBC, Al Jazeera and Reuters on her areas of expertise. She has published opinion pieces and book reviews in the Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, Spectator, Standpoint and Foreign Policy magazine, and travel pieces for Traveler Conde Nast. She speaks fluent Italian and French.
In 2014 she was appointed literary director of the Miles Morland Foundation, which funds a range of African literary festivals and a scholarship scheme for African writers. She is a trustee of the Africa Research Institute and an advisor to the Centre for Global Development.
She joined Reuters news agency in the early 1980s and was posted as a foreign correspondent to Italy, France and Ivory Coast. She became a freelance journalist in 1994, when she moved to then-Zaire and found herself covering both the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda and the final days of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko for the BBC and Reuters. She later moved to Kenya, where she spent four years covering east, west and central Africa for the Financial Times newspaper.
In 2000 she published her first book, "In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz", the story of Mobutu's rise and fall, which won a PEN prize for non-fiction. Her second book, "I didn't do it for you", which focused on the little-written-about Red Sea nation of Eritrea, came out in 2005 and was hailed as a "gripping political thriller" by Monica Ali.
Her third book, published in February 2009, was "It's Our Turn to Eat", which tracks the story of Kenyan corruption whistleblower John Githongo, who sought refuge in her London flat. Boycotted by Nairobi bookshops terrified of being sued, it has become an underground bestseller in Kenya, distributed by local churches, radio stations and non-governmental groups and debated in town hall meetings. Described as reading "like a cross between Le Carre and Solzhenitsyn", it has triggered expressions of interest from US and South African film directors. It was named as one of the Economist's "best books of 2009" and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.
Michela Wrong's non-fiction books on contemporary Africa aim to be accessible to both members of the general public and experts in the field. They have become a must-read for diplomats, aid officials, journalists and strategists based on the continent and regularly feature on the "required reading" lists of International Relations and African Studies courses at university. She was awarded the 2010 James Cameron prize for journalism "that combined moral vision and professional integrity
She currently lives in London and is regularly interviewed by the BBC, Al Jazeera and Reuters on her areas of expertise. She has published opinion pieces and book reviews in the Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, Spectator, Standpoint and Foreign Policy magazine, and travel pieces for Traveler Conde Nast. She speaks fluent Italian and French.
In 2014 she was appointed literary director of the Miles Morland Foundation, which funds a range of African literary festivals and a scholarship scheme for African writers. She is a trustee of the Africa Research Institute and an advisor to the Centre for Global Development.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 12, 2018
I adored this book. From the preview of Paula's international foible to the details about the lawyers' motivations and weaknesses, the book rang true to me. I found the interweaving of the political/international arbitration story line and Paula's flashbacks of her love life very well timed. Both story lines held my interest. Despite the fictional country, the political and moral conundrums in the book really happen in our world, and real people struggle in the absence of easy answers. Paula's dark sense of humor made me smile, and I must admit I loved the bits about her former New York lawyer fashion sensibilities.
I have spent time in Ethiopia near the Eritrean border, but I have never been to Lira (wink wink), so this book provided me with a vicarious adventure, peopled with textured and engaging characters, backed by a really substantive legal issue and fascinating moral questions. I think expanding a reader's life experience and a reader's perspective is one of the best and highest purposes of fiction. This piece of fiction delivers on that promise.
I have spent time in Ethiopia near the Eritrean border, but I have never been to Lira (wink wink), so this book provided me with a vicarious adventure, peopled with textured and engaging characters, backed by a really substantive legal issue and fascinating moral questions. I think expanding a reader's life experience and a reader's perspective is one of the best and highest purposes of fiction. This piece of fiction delivers on that promise.
September 9, 2015
A tense legal thriller which conjures the sights and sounds of Africa and questions Western involvement in the continent. Michela Wrong's début has big ambitions, but does it deliver?
Michela Wrong is an award-winning journalist who has worked as a foreign correspondent. She has been writing about Africa for over 20 years after postings with Reuters in Cote d’Ivoire and Zair. She is the author of three non-fiction titles that have examined Mobutu’s rise and fall, studied the little written about Red Sea nation of Eritrea and told the story of Kenyan corruption whistle-blower John Githongo.
Her non-fiction books on contemporary Africa aim to be accessible to both members of the general public and experts in the field and she brings the issues and ideas she has examined in her previous books to her first novel, Borderlines.
At the centre of her debut is Paula Shakleton: a smart, ambitious but troubled lawyer who is tempted into working for an African government by a brilliant human rights lawyer. Fleeing from heartbreak over the death of her lover, she agrees to help with a border dispute between two small African nations which caused two damaging wars.
The novel is slow to start but Michela does a good job of peppering the first few pages with clues as to where the story might go, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing from the beginning. Paula is instantly recognisable as a strong, independent woman but Michela creates a character that is wholly three-dimensional, with flaws and complexities that bring her to life and which holds the story together. She is suffering from the loss of her lover and has all but given up on her ‘botched, interrupted, pointless demi-life’. You are drawn into thinking that her adventure in Africa is either going to make or break her.
At times Michela’s writing can feel quite clunky. There are points that leap out from the page as anomalies, such as the moment an unfamiliar aroma is broken down into 6 different herbs and spices (she must have a really good nose) or the 1950’s diary extracts that feature phrases such as ‘old girl’ and ‘chaps’. It feels a little clichéd at times, as though Michela perhaps wrote them in to give her characters more depth but ended up overshooting the mark a little.
Passages about Paula’s past with her lover are also anomalies of a sort. They are far less exciting and vivid than the ‘real time’ moments we spend with Paula in North Darrar. The novel sparkles when...
want to finish this review? Go to http://forbookssake.net/2015/08/20/bo... and then check out the rest of For Books' Sake for more news, views and much much more about women writers.
Michela Wrong is an award-winning journalist who has worked as a foreign correspondent. She has been writing about Africa for over 20 years after postings with Reuters in Cote d’Ivoire and Zair. She is the author of three non-fiction titles that have examined Mobutu’s rise and fall, studied the little written about Red Sea nation of Eritrea and told the story of Kenyan corruption whistle-blower John Githongo.
Her non-fiction books on contemporary Africa aim to be accessible to both members of the general public and experts in the field and she brings the issues and ideas she has examined in her previous books to her first novel, Borderlines.
At the centre of her debut is Paula Shakleton: a smart, ambitious but troubled lawyer who is tempted into working for an African government by a brilliant human rights lawyer. Fleeing from heartbreak over the death of her lover, she agrees to help with a border dispute between two small African nations which caused two damaging wars.
The novel is slow to start but Michela does a good job of peppering the first few pages with clues as to where the story might go, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing from the beginning. Paula is instantly recognisable as a strong, independent woman but Michela creates a character that is wholly three-dimensional, with flaws and complexities that bring her to life and which holds the story together. She is suffering from the loss of her lover and has all but given up on her ‘botched, interrupted, pointless demi-life’. You are drawn into thinking that her adventure in Africa is either going to make or break her.
At times Michela’s writing can feel quite clunky. There are points that leap out from the page as anomalies, such as the moment an unfamiliar aroma is broken down into 6 different herbs and spices (she must have a really good nose) or the 1950’s diary extracts that feature phrases such as ‘old girl’ and ‘chaps’. It feels a little clichéd at times, as though Michela perhaps wrote them in to give her characters more depth but ended up overshooting the mark a little.
Passages about Paula’s past with her lover are also anomalies of a sort. They are far less exciting and vivid than the ‘real time’ moments we spend with Paula in North Darrar. The novel sparkles when...
want to finish this review? Go to http://forbookssake.net/2015/08/20/bo... and then check out the rest of For Books' Sake for more news, views and much much more about women writers.
November 10, 2015
I liked the discussion about how countries are created -- especially in the context of developing countries fighting for western recognition. I liked the mean speech from Dawit near the end...but the rest of the book was "meh." I found the characters only half believable (except the asshole UN peace keeping troup, who I'm fully willing to believe exists irl). Maybe if it was my first foray into the world of development work, I would have been more pleased by the whole book...who can say.
I was especially annoyed by the love story. Don't get me wrong, I'm typically a sap for tired love stories, but each time the italic text appeared, I braced myself for overwhelming boredom and trudged through.
All in all, I'd go with "it's fine." If you are bored and have a couple free days, it's certainly worth the $12.
I was especially annoyed by the love story. Don't get me wrong, I'm typically a sap for tired love stories, but each time the italic text appeared, I braced myself for overwhelming boredom and trudged through.
All in all, I'd go with "it's fine." If you are bored and have a couple free days, it's certainly worth the $12.
September 18, 2016
I've enjoyed Michaela Wrong's non-fiction and her book on Eritrea clearly gives her useful background for this work. I found the characterisations of the Eritreans surprisingly good (Dawit and Him) but the western characters were to a person cliched and unsympathetic. Like other reviewers I found the 'love story' tedious.
July 7, 2017
Interesting, complex and informative - having read her non-fiction, "It's Our Turn To Eat" which is such a powerful introduction to the world of Kenyan politics, this book really opens up her intimate knowledge of the interface of goverments, NGOs and Aid, and personal interests in the African countries that she has worked in over the years. It's a great read.
September 9, 2021
Great review in the FT. Can't wait to read it.
April 12, 2017
A good read for international development students. I was lucky to meet the author during her talk about this book at The University of Manchester.
May 18, 2017
Gritty
January 1, 2016
For someone with a weak spot for international law and who has spent many years in the region, Borderlines by Michela Wrong was a wonderful present. I had very much enjoyed Wrong's damning account of corruption in Kenya in It's our turn to eat. This is her first work of fiction, but the topic looked very exciting indeed.
Borderlines is a well written legal thriller, providing a fictional account of the works of the arbitration commission assessing the border between Darrar and North Darrar. The narrator, Paula Shackleton, is a lawyer working for the small team working for the government of North Darrar. The descriptions of the harsh reality of a young police state, of the case preparations and of the proceedings in The Hague are all very clear and realistic. There are also some funny and recognisable accounts, borderline cliché, of expat life in a small African country (e.g. how to find out if your US embassy contact is a CIA agent).
The book is a good and inviting read, but suffers from a few flaws. If the book is so obviously about Eritrea, why not simply use the real place names? This could have made the context so much more interesting for the non-initiated. Also, the ease of her career shift, from corporate lawyer to border litigation, is not very convincing, nor is the link with the story within the story, on a previous affair with a married lawyer in the States. There is a vague connection with her later life in North Darrar, but it all feels rather unnecessary.
Overall a very good read, also recommended for those readers with no personal history in the Horn of Africa or on international law.
Borderlines is a well written legal thriller, providing a fictional account of the works of the arbitration commission assessing the border between Darrar and North Darrar. The narrator, Paula Shackleton, is a lawyer working for the small team working for the government of North Darrar. The descriptions of the harsh reality of a young police state, of the case preparations and of the proceedings in The Hague are all very clear and realistic. There are also some funny and recognisable accounts, borderline cliché, of expat life in a small African country (e.g. how to find out if your US embassy contact is a CIA agent).
The book is a good and inviting read, but suffers from a few flaws. If the book is so obviously about Eritrea, why not simply use the real place names? This could have made the context so much more interesting for the non-initiated. Also, the ease of her career shift, from corporate lawyer to border litigation, is not very convincing, nor is the link with the story within the story, on a previous affair with a married lawyer in the States. There is a vague connection with her later life in North Darrar, but it all feels rather unnecessary.
Overall a very good read, also recommended for those readers with no personal history in the Horn of Africa or on international law.
December 6, 2015
The strength of Wrong's novel comes from the historic truths it depicts, the very real historic border disputes beteen Eritrea (North Darrar), and Ethiopia (Darrar) in the last century, and the resurgence of this problem in the past two years as Ethiopia struggles to grow without access to a trading coast. This is what makes it riveting for me as well as her marvellous depiction of courtroom politics in the Hague. It' s also in the details of the locals in Eritrea, her description of Liberation Avenue, her portrayal of the ex fighters, their life as students being taught English by Indian teachers, their battle scars all too real. Only someone who knows the locals and has spent many a days chatting/working with them can be so good at portraying them. Paula's story is in many ways the story of many a Westerner in the Horn of Africa, the impact with local culture and mentality always in the end creating dilemmas, doubts, misunderstandings. Whose battle is she really fighting? Great piece of writing, makes is a very enthralling read. Looking forward to more novels from her.
January 10, 2017
It was different from what I expected. I read this while on holiday and reading some really good crime thrillers. I didn't find this book thrilling even though it's called a legal thriller. Perhaps I read it at the wrong time. I'm not really that interested in the legal side of African border disputes. I liked it but it didn't grab me!
June 30, 2017
Interesting story about two fictional warring nations on the Horn of Africa.
Nothing new is added from the usual Western ideologue going up against the realistic African but enough to keep the good interest from waning. Main character flaw - putting down the two dogs because of being a burden was terrible.
Nothing new is added from the usual Western ideologue going up against the realistic African but enough to keep the good interest from waning. Main character flaw - putting down the two dogs because of being a burden was terrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2017
Couldn't put it down:
A very clever book. Totally gripping. The heroine has a lot of flaws, but is immensely likeable as she is 'real'. Half thriller, half love story, half African observation - I know that makes three halves! I found myself thinking deeply about events and also racing through the narrative. Well worth picking up.
A very clever book. Totally gripping. The heroine has a lot of flaws, but is immensely likeable as she is 'real'. Half thriller, half love story, half African observation - I know that makes three halves! I found myself thinking deeply about events and also racing through the narrative. Well worth picking up.
December 19, 2015
A great read which operates on multiple levels and keeps you turning the pages - a fabulous first novel.
July 12, 2016
very readable thriller/courtroom drama set in Africa and The Hague.
January 19, 2026
unfortunately, i think this book just showcased that the author should stick to non-fiction.
the premise was intriguing and there were some interesting parts - i did learn something new. however, as an actual fiction book, it was not very good. there were too many characters that weren’t developed, the first third of the book was incredibly slow (i considered giving up but i wanted to get to the courtroom) and then the courtroom drama wasn’t tied enough to the plot that i was confused where everything was developed from. the italics/past foray into romance was only a welcome break when the plot was slow, and then it just got a bit tedious. what was certainly not needed was the diary extracts - they served no purpose because by the time they were used in the courtroom, i had forgotten their contents.
overall, this book was novel in concept and was educational, but unfortunately as a legal thriller, it fell short.
the premise was intriguing and there were some interesting parts - i did learn something new. however, as an actual fiction book, it was not very good. there were too many characters that weren’t developed, the first third of the book was incredibly slow (i considered giving up but i wanted to get to the courtroom) and then the courtroom drama wasn’t tied enough to the plot that i was confused where everything was developed from. the italics/past foray into romance was only a welcome break when the plot was slow, and then it just got a bit tedious. what was certainly not needed was the diary extracts - they served no purpose because by the time they were used in the courtroom, i had forgotten their contents.
overall, this book was novel in concept and was educational, but unfortunately as a legal thriller, it fell short.
February 27, 2024
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. it's definitely not a thriller - it doesn't seem like it's trying to be; the plot is fast paced and engaging but not gripping - and it starts to unpack some interesting and tricky issues of white saviour complex and whether and how the West can help or get involved in the politics of other countries - but these themes seem underdeveloped. In big part I think this is because Paula is underdeveloped and I never really understood her motivation. There are also too many characters, which makes it hard to follow, with varying degrees of interest. I also found Jake - her ex who she is mourning - came across really badly which I don't think was the intention.
despite that, the plot is engaging and the ambitious premise interesting.
despite that, the plot is engaging and the ambitious premise interesting.
March 27, 2021
i enjoyed my time in north darrar with tough, beleaguered lawyer paula. lira was palpable, the north darrans were good laconic company, their government sadly likely. perhaps the westerners were a little shallow (but you can find plenty of other books about westerners). and i delighted in my peak at the arcane world of international border disputation.
January 11, 2021
Felt there was a lot of unnecessary detail and dragged on a bit. Feels more like fiction than non-fiction (which is perhaps why I'm disappointed as I usually read fiction and wanted to try something different this year). Can understand why some people really enjoy this book, but not for me.
October 26, 2020
An interesting novel that tries to convey the complexities and dysfunction of the international justice system, western imperialism, the personalities who participate, and their muddied motivations.
January 25, 2022
From a couple of years ago... v good thriller
May 30, 2023
Experience has taught that politics is a game played by conmen and hypocrites.
September 8, 2023
I loved this author's non-fiction books about Africa, so was expecting to love this novel. Unfortunately it wasn't compelling or even particularly interesting to me. Disappointing.
February 28, 2017
This book sits on many borderlines - is it a politcal thriller? a legal thriller? a romance? a feminist story? a story of corruption? At times, it's all of those things and although that's clearly what irritated some of the other reviewers, I enjoyed the mix of stories. Whether it was life in Africa or the Hague's legal processes; relationships with lovers or with friends; stories of colonial African history or current African politics - all of them engaged my interest and kept me reading.
September 23, 2015
This is a very good book, interesting, very well written, rich, subtle, different.
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January 20, 2017Fiction W9576b 2016
April 3, 2017
A fair beach read. I think her non-fiction titles are far better
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews