Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140125949 ISBN 13: 9780140125948

Publisher: Penguin Putnam~trade, 1990

In 1971, the residents of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, were suddenly evicted from their homes to build a US military base. This novel tells of the islanders, their exile and how heaven became hell. The author's first novel, "The Levels" won "The Guardian" Fiction Prize in 1987.

About the Author:

Born in 1956, Peter Benson was educated in Ramsgate, Canterbury and Exeter. His first novel, The Levels, won the Guardian Fiction Prize. This was followed by A Lesser Dependency, winner of the Encore award, The Other Occupant, which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award. He has also published short stories, screenplays and poetry, some adapted for TV, radio and many translated into other languages.

Review:

"This is polemic touched with poetry. Benson's gift is to capturein strong visual terms the earth-based intuition of those 'dropped in the sand and tuned to the rhythms of tiny island life'" -- The Sunday Times

"The lack of adornment lends the novel the directness of a folk-tale and sharpens its sting" -- The Independent

"A powerful political novel which makes its case all the more forcefully for being so restrained" -- The Guardian