A Sri Lankan Christian family's small nature sanctuary becomes a potential hideout for Tamil Tiger terrorists in Hower's sixth novel (after Shadows and Elephants). Eleven-year-old Lila Gunsekera is the daughter of a Sri Lankan father and American mother; their quiet sanctuary and animal preserve has been the center of Lila's sheltered existence. The family's peace is broken, however, when Lila's father, Derek, who runs the sanctuary, receives a stink bomb in the mail from the Tamil Tigers, who have been targeting the country's weak, fragmented government for two decades. It slowly becomes clear that Derek is somehow tied up in the country's political machinations. The government declares the sanctuary a national landmark and offers its protection, but the stamp of approval proves all too temporary when the Tamil rebels march south toward the compound. Hower gracefully captures Lily's precocious but innocent perspective; she comes to understand the contentious relations between Tamil and Sinhalese residents of her small town and gains a more mature sense of her place in the world as her family is riven by politics. Hower whimsically dwells on Lila's relationship with her cat, which itself becomes a victim of sectarian violence as well as a symbol of the Tamils' struggle. The climactic final third of the book, crowded with political intrigue, is a jarring contrast to the quiet tale of Lila's inner life that dominates the earlier part of the novel, and feels somewhat rushed, but Hower's affecting take on lost innocence makes up for the problems of pacing. (Jan. 13)
