The river of jubilant people alarmed Sabine as they bobbed along Allidina Visram Street in Kampala....The dark faces drew closer. Women in bright gomesi and headscarves danced, and bare-chested men punched their fists into the air, chanting, Muhindi, nenda nyumbani! Indian go home.
Sabine felt she was drowning in their cries. In August 1972, President Idi Amin declares that a message from God has come to him in a dream: all foreign Indians must be weeded out of Uganda in the next 90 days. Fifteen-year-old Sabine and her father, a successful businessman, are confident that their family will not be affected, since they are Ugandan citizens, but Sabine's fearful mother is certain that they will have to leave.
As the 90 days tick by, the President's message - the countdown monster, as Sabine calls it - is broadcast every day on the radio, and life becomes more difficult for her family and other Indians in Uganda. Sabine tries to hold on to her optimism, counting on her best friend, Zena, and her grandfather, Bapa, to keep her spirits up, but after her beloved uncle Zulfiqar disappears and Zena turns against her, Sabine begins to share her mother's fears. When a new law is declared on the radio - all Indians must leave - Sabine and her family have a hard decision to make. Should they stay and defend their rights, or should they go? And how will they begin a new life in a different land?
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"I thought this book had a good perspective on conditions in Uganda in 1972 particularly for the Indians of the main character's heritage but also other ethnic groups in the area that are divided by Idi Amin's strife-filled regime. These characters are represented by servants, friends, and neighbors with the interactions between them changing as the fortunes rise or fall according to some irrational overarching design. I think that in the end the main character's family was more understanding of the feelings behind the horrible actions taking place than people there in that place and time could have been without the safety of hindsight, but their explanation to Sabine is helpful for the reader to head off bitterness which could stunt a full evaluation of the situation. The author's note at the end was helpful as well. While the story is brutal and somewhat scary, the angst is restrained by the little moments of humanity present if Sabine's family interactions, particularly with her brother who has Down Syndrome."
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Erin (4 out of 5 stars)