The Road Builder — Nicholas Hershenow

Set against the lush background of rural Africa, this luminous and wise novel follows a young couple as they they confront a world of myth, belief, and mysteries.

Will and Kate Haslin have barely begun their relationship when they journey to Central Africa, hoping to chase down family secrets. Kate's willful and distant Uncle Pers is dying, and she sees one last chance to uncover his shadowy past.

 and After reaching Ngemba with only the most vague idea about what life in Africa requiresnd with a concrete goal: to uncover the shadowy past of Kate's willful-and dying-Uncle Pers.

After reaching Ngemba with only vague ideas about what life in Africa requires, the young Americans must reshape themselves inside a culture without expectation. And when they learn that Uncle Pers may be The Road Builder, a mysterious figure with a colonial connection, the dangers they face turn personal.

In the tense and hazy village, history merges with myth, fable, and even gossip to create unusual new truths. It's an isolated world of realists and visionaries, and will test every belief that Kate and Will hold dear.

With the seductive prose of a gifted storyteller, The Road Builder weaves sophisticated questions about the nature of truth into an epic yet personal story about romance and exploration.