First published 2014
A Swedish woman arrives in Mozambique at the turn of the twentieth century and transforms herself into the proprietor of the capital's largest brothel. Mankell draws her from century-old documents that reveal the life of this enigmatic Nordic beauty who carved out power in colonial Africa through the sex trade. She navigates the dangerous waters between European colonizers and African society, building an empire that defies the conventional roles available to women of her era. The novel explores how she maintains control over her establishment while surviving in a world where violence and exploitation shape daily life. Her story reveals the complex dynamics of race, gender, and power in a colonial setting where survival demands constant adaptation. Mankell presents her not as victim or villain but as a woman who seizes agency in circumstances that offer few choices to someone of her background and gender.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, african-literature
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, gender-politics, survival
Setting: Mozambique
Period: 20th-century
384 pages · Hardcover · W.A.B.
Content warnings: colonialism, racism, sexism