The Emma of the title was an intrepid young woman who journeyed to the Sudan in search of exotic adventure. Owing to an ill-chosen marriage she found herself at the centre of a bloody civil war. A few years later she met with an early death. One's loins need to be well girded before embarking on this book. Emma's Sudan, portrayed by Deborah Scroggins, is a nightmarish, Goyaesque picture.

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