The Gated River

Set in the fictional West African republic of Yumana, this story of contemporary political intrigue revolves arond American ambassador Richard Hooper and his wife, Marika, an erstwhile opera singer. In Yumana, the Hoopers nervously observe the escalating friction between the dai, a band of determined guerrillas, and president Amoz Mayume's venal government, which the dai wish to oust. These guerrillas also intend to demolish Yumana's Parambo Dam, constructed by a corrupt American corporation in collusion with Mayume's regime. Richard, a dai sympathizer, abhors the dam's effects on the country's ecology. When Richard is assassinated, Marika assumes that the dai are responsible. Returning home to New York, she resumes an old affair with a dissolute painter, but she eventually learns the true identity of Richard's killers, and the reasons why the dai want her to return to Yumana. Although the novel begins auspiciously, tediousness and superficial characterizations mar its impact. (April)