"City Of Saints & Thieves" by Natalie C. Andersen (published 2017)

Natalie C. Andersen’s debut novel, “City Of Saints & Thieves”, chronicles the life of a young orphan girl, Christina, who must become a Goonda – a member of a thieving and violent gang in Africa's Congo – in order to survive. She knows next to nothing about her past, and her present is full of vengeance and hatred for a man she believes killed her mother, Mr. Greyhill, one of the richest men in town.

“City Of Saints & Thieves” is written like a diary. Christina struggles to come to terms with her past, but how can she when it’s a big huge blur of events both terrible and good? The honesty in this book is wonderful, but there wasn’t as much internal dialogue as there should’ve been for someone going through a childhood full of brutality. Christina, or “Tiny”, as the Goondas call her, has one thing on her mind – seeking revenge, by means of murder, for her mother’s death. It would’ve been a more riveting read if there was more reflection on the mental and emotional instability she was experiencing throughout her life, rather than just an action-packed “eye for an eye” adventure story, which, at some points, seemed to relish criminality.

However, much of “City Of Saints & Thieves” does tell a lot about the Democratic Republic Of The Congo. That the violence there is commonplace, and many times women are the most affected by it. That many people with money get the money through illegal means. That there, building yourself from the ground up is impossible. That the rich live side by side with the poor, and that these two worlds collide in horrific ways. But why does this happen in such a beautiful place? This book does have a wonderful point. That even in places where safety and security - at the most necessary level - is not expected, amazing things can happen to people in the face of all this if they seek the truth.