The Atlas of Forgotten Places
Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin, July 11, 2017
With empathy and political intrigue, this is a gripping story of two women from different worlds who become inextricably bound in a quest to save their loved ones.
The Atlas of Forgotten Places is that rare novel that delivers an exquisite portrait of family and love within a breathlessly thrilling narrative.
After a long career as an aid worker, Sabine Hardt has retreated to her native Germany for a quieter life. But when her American niece Lily disappears while volunteering in Uganda, Sabine must return to places and memories she once thought buried in order to find her. In Uganda, Rose Akulu―haunted by a troubled past with the Lord’s Resistance Army―becomes distressed when her lover Ocen vanishes without a trace. Side by side, Sabine and Rose must unravel the tangled threads that tie Lily and Ocen’s lives together―ultimately discovering that the truth of their loved ones’ disappearance is inescapably entwined to the secrets the two women carry.
Masterfully plotted and vividly rendered by a fresh new voice in fiction, The Atlas of Forgotten Places delves deep into the heart of compassion and redemption through a journey that spans geographies and generations to lay bare the stories that connect us all.
“The Atlas of Forgotten Places is a thriller that sweeps the reader into intrigue, adventure, and mystery.” —John Perkins, New York Times bestselling author
“I think Jenny Williams is a wonderfully gifted writer, who is at the beginning of a long and distinguished career.” —Richard Bausch, winner of the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence and a Guggenheim fellow
“The Atlas of Forgotten Places is a beautifully written, all-engulfing novel about our responsibility for each other and the faltering ways in which we try to help.” —Erika Mailman, author of The Witch’s Trinity
“Riveting alchemy… A splendid debut.” —Joshua Henkin, author of The World Without You, Matrimony, and Swimming Across the Hudson
“Jenny D. Williams’ Atlas of Forgotten Places is an extraordinary debut. Written with confidence and compassion, masterfully plotted, her characters drawn in swift, sure strokes—this was a book I could not put down.” —Marisa Handler, Nautilus Award-winning author of Loyal to the Sky
“Jenny D. Williams has written that rare thing: a page-turning adventure story that simultaneously goes deep into the heart of what it is to be human and present.” —Malla Nunn, award-winning screenwriter and author of A Beautiful Place to Die, Silent Valley, and Present Darkness
“This novel is nothing short of astonishing—a remarkable debut with an extraordinary and nuanced grasp of Sub-Saharan Africa’s brutal and horrific civil wars. I was very moved by this outstanding novel and highly recommend it.” — Kwei Quartey, author of Darko Dawson series, including Wife of the Gods through Death By His Grace
