To Read & To Write

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 instab...