Review: Not for the faint hearted.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2012
Ten year old Shuki is a bed boy to Hassanel Daoud. Daoud wants his boy to remain beautiful so he tricks him into a "little operation" which also turns out to be highly illegal.  Shuki is engaging and clever so finds ways to extract large sums of money from his master and makes friends with his master's sons. When Shuki is fifteen he escapes during a trip to England to visit one of his master's relatives.Marj MacRae has written an extremely powerful book which details the levels of depravity to which men will sink for sexual pleasure. It is not for the faint-hearted least of all the description of Shuki's operation. This story spares nothing in the way of detail. MacRae's evocative description, engaging dialogue and characterisation makes Shuki's story very real indeed.Amidst the depravity and victimisation of a boy who is different through no fault or choice of his own there is a level of resilience and a marked show of spirit as Shuki stands up to the men who wants to possess and use him for their own depraved pleasures.This is a powerful tale of human rights abuses, depravity and cruelty but it is also a love story although not in the conventional sense but I detest convention so it sits fine with me and it is also a portrayal of life in another country where women are seen as much inferior beings and MacRae draws parallels with the Western world. Amid the depraved possessiveness there is also friendship and hope.I guarantee you will never forget Shuki. He will be with you long after you click past the last page and that's a sign of a well written character.. I can't recommend this highly enough but be warned that it is not for the faint hearted.