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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus
Original language
English
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KID MOSES

Mark Thornton

Moses is a street kid in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A survivor who longs for something outside of the grim existence he has long known: begging, stealing fruit, and steering clear of the murderous bully Prosper. On a whim, Moses and his friend Kioso hitch a ride on the back of a truck. Only to find themselves alone in a wilderness where their street savvy is of no use. Cruel strangers and poisonous snakes are just a few of the challenges Moses faces before his adventure climaxes in a violent shoot-out with elephant poachers. Safari-guide Thornton uses the experience of one unfortunate but resourceful child to show the uneasy relationship between modern humanity and disappearing wilderness, and the brutal life of the displaced in contemporary southern Africa, or indeed throughout the world. The novel received high praise upon its publication in South Africa. A lean, raw, surprising debut.

Mark Thornton has spent fifteen years working as a wilderness guide in Tanzania, and is involved in various conservation projects in the country. His safaris have been featured in The New York Times, Outside magazine and National Geographic. He divides his time between Cape Town and Tanzania.
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Book

Published 2015-10-01 by Arcade Publishing

Comments

[Moses's] is a rough, tough life forthrightly told. . . . Highly recommended for all fiction readers. (starred review)

With the excitement of the archetypal perilous adventure, Thornton's stark, beautiful prose will hold readers in this story of a young boy's struggle to survive in Tanzania today. . . . It's the crisply evoked small moments in this tale of a homeless kid on the run that give the novel its remarkable power. (starred review)

South Africa: Jacana Media

Thornton excels in showing a harrowing adult world through the eyes of a child who has been forced to grow up early. In the end, this is the rare work of fiction about childhood that refuses to admit any sentimentality into the narrative.

Thornton keeps an even tone with the kind of spare, austere language that reflects Moses's stoic attitude and prevents the book from turning maudlin or crusading. . . . [Kid Moses] is a little boy with big contradictions, well worth following on his safari.