Title: Between John and a Hard Place
Author: Anita Yombo
Publisher: Babou Publishing
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: Between John and a Hard Place by Anita Yombo
After her town in the Eastern Congo is ravaged by rebels, Grace escapes in the hope to find her family on the other side. She runs for several days until she finds John, a man who takes her in and helps her recover from her wounds. John promises to help her find her family no matter what. She has doubts about his intentions, but desperation and fear leave her no choice but to follow him.
Grace ends up in the US with him and realizes that the man who was supposed to help her, becomes her captor. She finds herself in an unthinkable circumstance and struggles to survive under John’s captivity and sexual abuse.
The woman next door, too curious for her own good, tries to get to know Grace and over time, she convinces her to open the door. Is it the beginning of a new friendship? Can she trust this woman? Grace shares her own poignant and sometimes bluntly hilarious observations about John and the contrasting cultures of her old and new homes steeped in contradictions and old customs.
Book Review: Between John and a Hard Place by Anita Yombo
Once in a while, you come across a book that you know will be hard to read even before you’ve turned the first page. When it came to Between John and a Hard Place this couldn’t be any more obvious. For me, I tend to tackle these kinds of books sparingly mostly due to them taking a lot out of the reader. They are however some of the most important kinds of books. They give human faces to stories we see on the news and in the papers. In showing some of the cruellest of human nature they can also serve to enlighten us on the will to survive and make it out the other side.
A tense storyline, strange terrain, and questionable characters collide in a way that makes Between John and a Hard Place impossible to put down. When Grace’s hometown in Eastern Congo is ravaged by rebels, she flees in the hope of finding her family on the other side. After running for several days, she finds John, a man who takes her in and promises to find her family at any cost. While she is unsure of his intentions, she cannot help but follow him, out of desperation and fear. After they arrive in the US, she quickly realizes that nothing is quite what it seems and the man who was supposed to help her turned out to be her captor.
As the victim of John’s captivity and sexual abuse, she is faced with unimaginable hardship. It doesn’t take Grace long to realize that she is virtually imprisoned in the house. Over time, Grace’s neighbour, a curious woman, tries to build relationship with her and eventually persuade her to open the door. Can Grace trust this woman? This is a horrible situation that just gets worse. In addition to her personal reflections on John, Grace shares her own observations about the contrasting cultures of her old and new homes filled with contradictions and old customs.
There are two main characters around whom the story revolves and how they evolve as the story goes on is a joy to read, especially Grace Munia. At first I was frustrated with Grace. I was so used to reading extremely strong female protagonists who could do anything that it was aggravating to be stuck with Grace who was incapable and terror stricken. Yet she gets to you. Her pain, her struggles. She’s a real girl. This isn’t some fantasy character that can do everything. Yet she has a sense of will and spirit. Perhaps her defining characteristic is the truth that she is willing to tell herself – completely and honestly. John is also amazing as a character. He is equal parts scary, confused, angry, hostile, delusional. And he is also capable and intense. He is such a mixed bag of all these things.
Between John and a Hard Place takes our real world issues and brings it close to home. This is Anita Yombo’s debut novel and it is clear she has done some in-depth research into the subject. This gritty story is realistically portrayed and the character are all well drawn. The conditions that Grace lived under are getting more and more familiar to us as we read about people who have managed to escape their captors. As an author, Anita Yombo effortlessly unfolds the plot, deftly moving the set pieces and using minor details to advance the story further. The writing is simplistic and uncomplicated, which works perfectly well for Grace’s simplistic and uncomplicated character. The slightly humorous tone plays into building of an important character.
Beautiful, touching, heart breaking and real, Anita Yombo doesn’t spare on the details both good and bad. I personally found the strength of the characters and the outback strong enough to carry this story without needing a great deal of thrilling action. Teens and adults alike will enjoy this read and most will begin to think hard about these scary issues. Anita Yombo does a wonderful job capturing the fear and sense of helplessness Grace has to overcome.
