Not Untrue and Not Unkind

Not Untrue and Not Unkind by Ed' O Loughlin is a book I picked up some time ago in a three for two offer and have only just got round to reading recently. The story centres around Owen a former war journalist who covered the many conflicts in Africa. Many years later after the death of a colleague he discovers an old photograph which takes him back to one particular event in his pass set during the Zambian Civil War. At first I didn't really get on with the book, the story takes a while to really get going and although it's incredibly well written the descriptions of early events came across as dreamlike and abstract rather than painting a vivid picture of the situations faced by the central character. However, the book really got good at around the half way mark. The characters came to life and the build-up to the central event of the book which defines Owen is wrought with tension. The book left me with many more questions and if you look for clear cut final chapter where everything is tied up at the end prepare to be disappointed. Instead the book gives you a snapshot of life as an African war correspondent, and perhaps more so, a snapshot of a man's life changed forever by a single event down a dusty African road during one of its most brutal wars.