Here Casts No Shadow

Book excerpt: Here Casts No Shadow explores the impact of war, exile and trauma on a family and the consequences of a single act of revenge. This is a story of war and refuge, told from a woman’s perspective. Fifteen year old Mira lives a quiet life in the small town of Zazour. Her country of Lyrian is under the grip of a ruthless dictator but the political situation has little impact on Mira’s daily life until she witnesses her brother’s friend, Tam, shot dead in the street. Mira has never had a romantic relationship with Tam but she has always loved him from afar. As war intensifies and the dictator’s grip hardens, Zazour is bombed and friends disappear. Mira enlists the help of her brother, Kaz, in a terrible act of vengeance for Tam’s death. Shortly after, the family is forced to flee, surviving hardship and camp life before finally settling in the safety of Neeland, thousands of miles from home. But will Mira’s past now catch up with her and threaten to destroy the life she has built for herself?