A deeply moving and unforgettable story. An extraordinarily moving but unsentimental story of a young girl who steps on a land mine outside her village in Mozambique. Secrets in the Fire is as much a study of a young girl's strength and will to live as it is a political protest against war, terrorism and land mines. Mankell depicts Africa in a way that makes it concern us, as he deals with universal themes of love, friendship, fear, pain, solidarity and hope. It was old Muazena who told Sofia and Maria about the secrets in the fire.
Every flame has a secret.
If you sit at the right distance from the fire, you can look so deeply into the dancing flames that you can foresee what is going to happen in the future, in the days that lie stretched out and unused ahead of you. That's how life looks,' said Muazena. Every day is a plant that you should nurse and water, keep clear of weeds and one day harvest. Old Muazena had told Sofia and Maria about that as well, when they were still quite young. By looking into the fire you could unlock memories that you might have thought you had forgotten for ever.