The Other Side of Silence [Paperback]

With years of abuse behind her and a bleak future ahead, a young German woman dreams of her country's colony in South-West Africa. When she learns of the women being transported to the colony to attend to the needs of male settlers, Hanna X takes the leap.
In Africa she is confronted with the harsh realities of colonial life. For resisting the advances of a German officer, she is banished to Frauenstein, a phantasmagoric outpost that is at once a prison, nunnery, brothel, and shithouse. When the drunken excesses of visiting soldiers threaten the young girl who has become her only companion, Hanna revolts.
Mounting a ragtag army of women and native victims of brutality, she sets out on an epic journey to take on the German Reich. Combining the history of colonialism with the myths of Africa, this is an exquisitely written tale of suffering, violence, revenge, and, simply, love.

PRAISE FORTHE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE
“Over the course of this novel, Hanna X goes from being just a cipher in history to a stirring presence on the page. So stirring, that if you pick up this book, you’ll probably have to set it down now and then, as I did—just to catch your breath.”— ALAN CHEUSE on NPR’S ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

“Brink blends history with invention and African myth. . . .This bloodyfable, rooted in bloody reality, is one of Brink’s most powerful works.”—LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW

This bloody fable, rooted in bloody reality, is one of Brink's most powerful works.

[A] brilliant tale in which sharp glints of hope manage to illumine a near-unbearably inhumane world.

A novel of unforgettable power.

A shrewd meditation on the dehumanizing power of hatred.