Divinity Road

I am delighted to say that I found this book a real page turner.
Four distinct voices narrate this tale. Greg, an English artist , who finds himself the sole survivor of an aircrash in Africa, caused by a suicide bomber ; Greg's wife, Nuala, as she copes with the news of her husband's presumed death; Aman, a refugee from persecution in Eritrea and Semira, as she struggles to build a new life for herself and her two children as an asylum-seeker in the United Kingdom.
The author, depicts the cruelty and barbarism which continues to afflict some African nations and yet also reveals the depth of courage and compassion which comes into play when humans are exposed to extreme adversity.
The reader is also forced to consider the many apparently show more insurmountable problems faced by refugees as they seek asylum in the United Kingdom, with little or no English language, after having made hazardous journeys and then often being confronted by prejudice, hostility and ignorance in an alien culture.
Each chapter, narrated in a different voice moves the story along and gradually we come to realise the concurrence in their lives.
Despite the grimness of their situations, their individual strengths shine through and Pevsner achieves a hopeful conclusion in the children's acceptance, tolerance and fellowship.
I found the detailed depiction of Greg's plight gripping, but harrowing reading and likewse the intense emotions experienced by Nuala as she adjusts to his absence in her life and future.
This is an admirable first novel, which brought to mind The Other Hand by Chris Cleave and proved well worth the wait. show less

What a heart-breaking novel.
When I first read the summary at the back cover I expected a slow paced, descriptive novel, with a lot of characters and a difficult thread to catch up with.
How mistaken I was ! The novel starts full of action, the direct voice of the only survivor of a plane crash explaining the facts hazily and by bits, at the same time that he recovers his memory.
End of the first chapter, we plunge into someone else's life. Aman is looking for his missing wife and children who fled because of murder threats consequence of his own actions.
Semira and Nuala, the wives of the characters above, have to learn to live without their soul companions, they are everywhere but they are nowhere.
Following the devastating stories of show more these four people, Pevsner draws both a direct and tough approach to subjects such as terrorism, racism, religion and ethnic war. He describes the scenes with raw cruelty, without literary flourishments, which leaves a notch at the pit of your stomach even after you've turned the last page, I guess because of his straightforwardness about issues like rape, murder and loss.
But not everything is gloomy about this story, the last chapters are glowing with hope. Because in spite of our weak wills, humans can be amazingly strong sometimes and at the same time, they can lend a hand to those who have abandoned and think to be drowned in despair.
Somehow, Pevsner reminded me of Kalhed Hosseini and his novel "The kite runner", in which you are left with a bitter sweet taste in your mouth long after you have closed the book. This story will definitely be with me for some time show less

Divinity Road tells the interlocking stories of two couples who have been separated by circumstances... or perhaps geopolitics is a better description. An African couple, Aman (Eritrean) and Semira (Ethiopian) are separated when an accident leads to a prison sentence for him, and she flees illegally to the UK. He reaches the UK some years later but is unable to track her down. Some time later, Nuala's husband Greg disappears, victim of a suicide bombing on a plane flying over an unspecified region of the Horn of Africa.

This book touches on some interesting issues, but I think there were two things wrong with it. The first is the writing, which is much too 'tell, not show' - this is most obvious in the sections dealing with Nuala's grief show more and depression after the disappearance of her husband, which lead us through a set of symptoms. There is very very little dialogue in the book, which is often a sign that the author is telling us too much and not showing enough: on the other hand, what dialogue there is is quite clumsy - I can't imagine anyone in real life showing a photo of their daughter and saying "She's twelve now, that awkward stage before womanhood".

The second is that the stories of the men add very little to the central theme of the book which is about grief and recovery. Pevsner's decision that Aman's story should not be one of political persecution, and that Greg's crash should be in an unspecified war zone, mean that they only hint at wider themes, in a way which is a distraction from the rest of the story. I think a much better story would have focused on the relationship between the two women rather than trying to give equal time to all four. This could have been a more intimate examination of their grief and recovery while still bringing in the same wider issues.

She cannot wait for the promised updates, her impatience dragging her upstairs to her bedroom where she begins to pack a suitcase. She decides to call every hour until she receives the go-ahead to journey to the crash site. In the meantime, there's a phone call every twenty minutes or so, the electronic tone setting Nuala's nerves jangling, a sense of dread every time she picks up the handset, but it's always a friend or relative. Hours pass. The telephone, with its capacity for relief or ruin, becomes a toying instrument of torture. show less

This is a very accomplished first novel. Both engaging and emotional, it tells the stories of four main characters. Greg, an artist from England and his wife Nuala. Semira who has been smuggled in to the UK, having been separated from her husband Aman, who is also fleeing from Eritrea.
The novel begins with Greg, who is the only survivor of a plane crash, the result of a terrorist bomb. The plane has come down in a war zone and his struggle to recover and keep safe amid dreadful conditions is very well written.
Each character is well drawn and, as the story progresses, we are shown how their lives are connected even though they remain unaware of this.
The author also highlights the terrible struggle of refugees entering the UK and the show more shocking atrocities which still take place in many African countries. Aman's story is achingly sad as he is drawn in to a web of Muslim extremists. Semira's struggles as she and her children are moved from one place to another really moved me and Nuala's refusal to accept that her husband is dead, whilst trying to move on for her children's sake, was so difficult to read.
All in all, a well written novel which I recommend wholeheartedly. show less

Martin Pevsner’s ‘Divinity Road’ bears hallmarks of a first novel but is nonetheless an engaging tale. I read it across two rapid evenings.

There are definite flaws. The author relies heavily on his four characters explaining their sometimes complex background history as they are introduced one-by-one. It feels too much like telling rather than showing and highlights the challenge of setting up a story that has huge immediate drive, but is driven by complex back stories. And the coincidences that tie characters together at the end raise eyebrows, though possibly not as many as a key character Greg’s sole survival of a terrorist bomb that brings down a plane at the start.

Against that stands first person narratives by Pevsner’s show more characters that vividly bring to life the struggles and inhumanity with which vulnerable immigrants and asylum seekers are treated. It is an eloquent argument for a greater show of humanity by voters, politicians and the authorities to the impact on the West of conflicts elsewhere in the world.

So while not entirely successful in building an authentic overall structure, Pevsner creates a dynamic and thought provoking narrative that engages with some key issues and presents an eloquent narrative that weaves hope as well as despair. show less

"Divinity Road" opens in Africa where Greg is the only survivor of a plane crash. His story is harrowing; difficult to read at times, but compelling reading nonetheless. The story moves between Greg's struggle for life in Africa and his wife Nuala who is still in England, struggling with her confusion, grief and anger, unaware if he is alive or dead. We also follow Semira, a refugee from Eritrea who is trying to make a life for herself and her children in a strange country which is not always accepting and her husband Aman who has been separated from his family with no way to find them. He is being drawn into the life of a terrorist.

Reading this book, it felt just a little bit clunky. The four stories it held were in themselves show more exceptional, but I wondered if they could have been tied together just a little more smoothly. But having said that, this was a wonderfully engaging story that gives the reader an eye opening look at the plight of refugees. show less

My, what a powerful story! Divinity Road brings together the stories of four people who are caught up in the maelstrom of destiny. The author certainly doesn't allow either his characters or his reader get off easy with this book. Even though the story sucked me in from page one, I still struggled to finish it because I felt my heart breaking for these people every time I started reading. The novel was very engaging though and I would warmly recommend it.