Michael Dunellen on Books

So this is like a really odd story. I am going to warn you right now: If any sort of torture is too much for you, don't read this. If you actually like torture, you may still find this a bit much.The first part is about a widow whose husband has recently died. He was an English Vicar who thought he was on the fast track to be the next Archbishop when he made a huge mistake and got sent to Africa as penance. It didn't work out very well and after a few years he drank himself to death. He was so bad off that he ignored his beautiful young wife for two years.Meanwhile they were visiting the nearby neighbor and Caroline saw something she wasn't supposed to see - the neighbor disciplining of one his possessions. So with her husband dead, Caroline doesn't want to return to England and the father who never loved her - she wants to stay where she is and become the possession of Van Gryf.The complication that gets thrown in the mix is Douglas, the Scottish WWI Veteran - you know the type, the thousand yard stare, the guy who couldn't go home again. He actually isn't quite that bad but definitely has issues.So Van Gryf takes them both in - Douglas to be his partner in crime because much of what our Afrikaner does is illegal. Caroline to be his slave for a month - to convince her that she doesn't really want to be and she will go running home.So that is like 70 percent of the book and while it seems a little ridiculous - apparently our host has a batting average at finding submissive women that Tarl Cabot might envy - it is mostly a pleasant if far-fetched little story.The last 30 percent though is their trip to the Arabian slave markets so Van Gryf can hang out with his old friend - who happens to be the most caring slaving Sheikh you will ever seen in Fiction.But in the middle of this are a few chapters of some of the most awful stuff I have read in a while - girls getting badly beaten and what I hope is a political statement against female genital mutilation in excruciating detail.For anyone wondering about my first status update, the plot bears a superficial resemblance to Mercy. I gave Mary a hard time about her choice there. I won't do that to Caroline but I still can't say I find a kidnapper like Van Gryf to be a very sympathetic character in the end. I think Robbie found his own punishment for his sins - I don't think the witness is going to be working out very well.Overall I liked the story with some real reservations.