Lady Colombia by Stacy Christopher Zaghloul

 

Lady Colombia by Stacy Christopher Zaghoul.

Published 19th July 2020 by SCZ Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

Laidy is a young woman living outside Bogotá, Colombia. She applies herself in school, works a part-time job, and helps to look after her aging father.

Her exertions begin to take an emotional toll. An estrangement with her sister is particularly painful, leading her to investigate unanswered questions about her past. 

To resolve these doubts, she must traverse the world of narco-traffickers, a task she is loath to do. Along the way, she travels to parts of Colombia she has never seen and learns that her family history is much more complicated than she ever imagined. 

A genre-bending novel which incorporates elements of the women's literature, Latina, coming-of-age, mystery, contemporary romance, historical fiction, family life and multicultural genres, Lady Colombia is a moving tale that guides readers through the splendid cultural weave of the land, whilst delivering on the promise of the unputdownable. 

This stunning debut work will resonate with readers for years to come.

***************************************

Lady Colombia is a book that takes you under the skin of modern day Colombia by cleverly using the compelling story of our young protagonist, Laidy, to weave in details of how Colombians are dealing with the legacy of the violence that has torn their country apart.

Laidy is a smart and ambitious young woman, living a quiet life, studying hard and doing her best to keep clear of the temptations that have drawn her sister into a life embroiled with the men exploiting the darker side of the Colombian economy. 

But when a twist of fate brings violence close to home and throws up a question about her past, she finds herself undertaking a quest to find out about her heritage - unexpectedly aided by a dangerous cartel boss who she has fallen for, despite all her efforts to keep away from the dark underbelly of Colombian life.

Laidy's present, her fascinating exploration into her past, and the fate of her mother allows Stacy Christopher Zaghloul to give us a glimpse into the recent history of Colombia in such an engaging and informative way that belies the relatively short length of this novel. This may be only 192 pages long, but our author packs in a lot of shocking detail, and there is such an interesting range of characters in the mix - rogues who revel in crime, reluctant monsters trapped in a life they cannot escape, those who carry the guilt of secret misdeeds, and innocents caught up in the consequences of their behaviour. Inevitably, there are lots of hard edges given the violent context and the horrifying truth of the "disappeared", but our author blends the facts with the fiction in such a way that it makes it a very human story about love, family and trying to make amends for the acts you are not proud of too. There are also some lovely surprises to discover along the way.

It is very easy to think of Colombia from the perspective of what we see in our television screens in programmes like Narcos, but this book gives much more depth to the lives of the people who live there. I found it interesting that Stacy Christopher Zaghloul originally intended to show the softer side of the people of Colombia, but found it impossible to write about their lives without reference to the violence too.

It's clear from this fascinating book that the past has shaped these people, but it does not define them, and as such it serves as a fitting tribute to the love that our author so clearly holds for Colombia.

Lady Colombia is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer or from Amazon UK HERE.

Thank you to Stacy Christopher Zaghloul for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Kelly Lacey of Love Books Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Stacy Christopher Zaghloul is a proud graduate of Texas A&M University and SMU's Dedman School of Law. She is now a happily inactive member of the District of Columbia's bar association. A native Houstonian, she has also lived in Dallas, Beijing, and Bogota.

She has taught special education students and English language learners in Texas, and spent some years in the administration of special education services. She also had the privilege to advocate for students with disabilities in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Stacy recently published her first novel, Lady Colombia, for Amazon. She is currently writing her third book, loosely based on the life of her Palestinian Venezuelan mother-in-law.

When not writing, Stacy is reading, gardening, listening to music, painting, and attempting to cook. She has been blessed with two lovely daughters, the eldest of whom is attending university in Florida, the younger completing secondary school in Texas. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband Jose and her dog Jet.