Anne Rabinovitch Books

When Alexandra ("Bo") Fuller visited her parents in Zambia for Christmas, she inquired about a nearby banana farmer known as a "tough bugger." Her father's warning to avoid him—"Curiosity scribbled the cat"—didn't deter her from forming an unusual friendship with K, a white African and Rhodesian war veteran. In her beautifully crafted prose, Fuller explores this complex relationship. K is a man of contradictions: a tattooed, battle-scarred figure, both feral and resilient, yet also a born-again Christian who weeps over his failed romances and is haunted by memories of war. His experiences were brutal, marked by racial conflict, jungle battles, and the suffering of innocents, leaving him with blood on his hands. Together, Fuller and K embark on a journey through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to revisit war scenes and meet fellow veterans. This journey into the past is filled with somber reflections and unexpected humor. Fuller's narrative offers an unbiased, unsentimental view of men grappling with their wartime actions and the struggle to reconcile with their pasts. Through these men, she provides insight into life in Africa, a land fraught with challenges that make its inhabitants both hardened and vulnerable. The book presents a haunting exploration of war, Africa, and the fragile boundaries of sanity.

In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard made history as the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. This novel weaves a luminous tale of love, faith, magic, and adventure, centered around Bethia Mayfield, who grows up in the small settlement of Great Harbor. Restless and curious, Bethia longs for an education denied to her due to her gender. She often escapes to explore the island's beaches and observe the Wampanoag people. At twelve, she meets Caleb, the son of a chieftain, and they form a secret friendship that bridges their disparate worlds. Bethia's father, a minister, seeks to convert the Wampanoag, provoking the tribe's shaman and challenging his own beliefs. One of his endeavors is to educate Caleb, who eventually travels to Cambridge to study Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. Meanwhile, Bethia finds herself indentured as a housekeeper, allowing her to witness Caleb's cultural transition. Like Brooks's previous narrator Anna, Bethia serves as an emotionally compelling guide through the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the complexities of the human heart. This evocative narrative further solidifies Brooks's reputation as an acclaimed novelist.

Harriet Cleve Dusfrenes grows up haunted by the murder of her brother. His killer was never identified, and the family never recovered from the tragedy. Harriet lives largely in the world of her imagination, alone even in company. Then one day she decides to find his murderer and exact her revenge