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Veiled Freedom / by Jeanette Windle Adult (HS) Rating: 5 Veiled Freedom opens in Afghanistan, 2001. Steve Wilson, a young, special ops soldier, learns that the freedom for which he believed he was fighting provides the corrupt with paths to fulfill their greedy desires. Eight years later, Steve returns to Afghanistan as a private security contractor. When he arrives, he meets the idealistic Amy, who works for a non-governmental organization to provide aid to needy Afghans. Though Amy’s primary goal is to share the truth of Jesus’ love with others, Afghani laws restrict what she can say and where she can go without an escort. Amy’s inability to speak Dari also hampers her ability to share Jesus with others. Jamil, looking for work just when Amy needs him, seems to be the perfect fit for the job. Steve, Amy, and Jamil all wish for freedom in Afghanistan and for injustices to be corrected, but they find the tide of culture nearly impossible to change. Jeanette Windle’s writing crackles with the tension of contemporary headlines. The story delves into Afghani culture and the oppression that sharia law delivers. However, more than a treatise on the injustices of the culture, the plot moves quickly. The three principle characters tend toward the heroic, but have just enough weaknesses to keep them real. The setting, modern-day Afghanistan, feels like a scene from the nightly news. The dialogue helps push the story forward, and does a wonderful job at increasing the tension. An element of suspense winds throughout the story, increasing an already tense situation. Windle makes use of many acronyms, like MOI, NGO, PSD, CS, etc. Before the acronym is used, Windle uses the full term, but following the first use of the term, she follows with the acronym. Without careful attention, it can be easy to lose track of what the various acronyms stand for. The theme, true freedom comes from the Truth, rings out clearly through the story. Read this in anticipation of the coming sequel. Kristi Wolcott |