Jill McGivering is a journalist with over two decades of experience, primarily focusing on foreign news. Her background includes extensive work as a correspondent in South Asia and reporting from challenging regions like Afghanistan and China. She brings this depth of experience to her fiction, exploring themes and settings informed by her career in journalism. Her novels often delve into the complexities of global affairs and human experiences within these contexts.
Despite differing backgrounds, Isabel and Asha both consider India their home. As their stories intersect, circumstances bring them from bustling Delhi to the shores of the Andaman Islands. As the shadow of the Second World War falls across India, Isabel must make impossible choices: fighting for her love for India, the man she yearns for, and her childhood friend.
Two strong women. Two cultures. One unifying cause: survival. Ellen Thomas, experienced war correspondent, returns to Afghanistan's dangerous Helmand Province on assignment, keen to find the murderer of her friend and translator, Jalil. In her search for justice in a land ravaged by death and destruction, she uncovers disturbing truths. Hasina, forced by tradition into the role of wife and mother, lives in a village which is taken by British Forces. Her only son, Aref, is part of a network of underground fighters and she is determined to protect him, whatever the cost. Ellen and Hasina are thrown together - one fighting for survival, the other searching for truth - with devastating consequences for them both. The Last Kestrel is a deeply moving and lyrical story of disparate lives - innocent and not-so-innocent - caught up in the horrors of war. It is a book which will resonate with fans of The Kite Runner and The Bookseller of Kabul.