cover image Faker

Faker

Katy Gardner, . . Severn, $28.95 (216pp) ISBN 978-0-7278-6718-6

In Gardner's tense, heartfelt romantic thriller, Sarah Jeffery, a discontented teacher hoping to save the world, leaves England for Bangladesh. There she falls in love with Ed Salisbury, an attractive do-gooder who hires her to work for his organization, Schools for Change, which is building a village school. Unfortunately, Ed's protests against the Bangladesh Natural Resources Company and the multinational conglomerate Oxan, which have colluded on seizing land for its oil, result in the school's torching and a friend's murder. When a cyclone hits and Ed's apparently lost in the storm, Sarah can't believe he's dead. After returning to London and meeting Ed's sister and aunt, Sarah learns Ed kept a lot of disturbing secrets from her. Gardner (The Mermaid's Purse ) sensitively explores Sarah's struggles with her grief and the political upheavals that afflict contemporary Bangladesh. (May)