Chains Of Sand by Jemma Wayne

Book Description:

He has always been good at tracking down things that are hidden, like cockroaches in his mother’s kitchen cupboard, or tunnels in Gaza. At 26, Udi is a veteran of the Israeli army and has killed five men. He wants a new life in a new place. He has a cousin in England. Daniel is 29, a Londoner, an investment banker and a Jew. He wants for nothing, yet he too is unable to escape an intangible yearning for something more. And for less. He looks to Israel for the answer. But as the war with Hamas breaks out, Daniel cannot know that the star-crossed love of a Jewish girl and an Arabic man in Jerusalem a decade earlier, will soon complicate all that he thinks has become clear.

My Thoughts:

Chains Of Sand is a story set between London and Israel and has alternating chapters between NOW and THEN.

To be honest this book took me quite a while to fully get into it. The alternating chapters for me would have been better to also mention which character’s past or present it was to do with, as with some chapters it took me awhile to realise it was a different character to the one I had read about in the previous chapter.

I have always been fascinated with the way of life in countries like Israel and the author does bring to attention how things are there. For many it is a life full of tension, families frightened every time their loved ones go out the door and I could easily understand the fraught relationships between some of the characters.

There are different threads throughout the story that all weave into each other which I liked as at times I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going with different characters but by the end it all becomes very clear.

Chains Of Sand is certainly an interesting novel that reminds us of the atrocities that still go on throughout the world today. It shows us how people are affected by it in their everyday lives and their relationships with others. Overall a decent read.

Many thanks to Lucy from Legend Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads 3/5 stars.

Chains Of Sand is out today and available to purchase from Amazon.