Thirst
By K.L. Barron
Perfect-bound paperback | 5.5 x 8.5 | 314 pages | November 4, 2022 | 979-8985008098
A stunning betrayal forces a young woman to flee a relationship and forge a new life in one of the most brutal landscapes on earth. Gradually adapting to her new surroundings, she becomes aware of the impending dissolution of an entire culture. A diverse cast of displaced Westerners, local nomads, and djinn converge as everyone scrambles to survive and everything comes undone.
Review
"Based the author's experience living among Nigerien nomads in Tchin-Tabaraden, this fictional account follows 18-year-old Lark as she teaches English in one of Africa's most remote deserts... Expertly weaving history with an identity narrative, this novel delivers a first-hand account of life with the Tuaregs. The narrative stakes include survival for the Tuaregs and Lark herself as she learns to live in the desert and fight for a tribe in which she believes...the author uses sensory details, cultural and religious traditions, and a savvy narrative structure to both construct a young woman's story and document a cultural perspective... Barron embeds themes beyond the dramatic conflicts of person verses self, other, and nature, exploring what can happen to societies with governments that neglect to value native people as they are... A remarkable novel, integrating aspects of cultural identity into multiple narratives. An authentic celebration of Tuareg culture."—Kirkus Reviews
About The Author
K.L. Barron is a writer of place: poetry and prose. She earned an MFA in fiction from Bennington College. Her prize-winning fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction has been published in New Letters, The Bennington Review, Little Balkans Review, terrain.org, ChickenBones (Library of Congress), among others, and in several anthologies. She teaches writing and literature at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and lives and writes in the Flint Hills.
