THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN

A boy from Sierra Leone must escape his city and become a refugee in this debut novel.

Saah Kamandu has a safe life in Freetown. He is the only son of a local elder and will one day be expected to take on the same leadership role. But for now, Saah is a young boy trying to get through primary school and make his family proud. This is no small task for a boy who also desires to skip his homework and play soccer with his friends each day. He has a loving family, money for an education, and a stable home. The rebels and their war against the Sierra Leone government are in the villages, not in Freetown. Until the conflict comes to Saah’s street. He and his brother-in-law narrowly escape forced conscription in the rebel army, but by running, they become refugees. Saah’s only hope for a better life lies in leaving his country and his identity behind. His odyssey takes him to a refugee camp in Ghana and eventually to Australia, where he confronts a new set of challenges. Bell’s gripping novel works best when the drama and tension surface not just from the violence of war and the terror of refugees, but from smaller moments that engage the senses. When Saah and his brother-in-law escape Sierra Leone in a fishing boat packed with other refugees, so stuffed no one is allowed to move for fear of capsizing the vessel, the author skillfully portrays the passengers’ discomfort: “They were sitting in salty water, greasy with engine oil, and constantly threatening to swamp the boat.” But Bell rarely spends much time relating the physical experiences of her characters. In an early confrontation, the rebels chop off Saah’s hand with an ax. Although the author mentions that the salt water on the boat “dried out his lips, made his eyes smart, and invaded every scratch and graze from the past few days,” she does not address his arm’s bloody stump and how that would be affected by the sea spray. While not exactly a continuity error, this passage may cause readers to go back and make sure they understood what happened: Did Saah really lose his hand? The answer is yes, though the narrative doesn’t always embody that reality. Still, Bell creates a sympathetic and complex protagonist who endures a daunting journey.

A compelling but uneven refugee tale.