Hana’s life in a tropical village is predictable and simple until she answers an advertisement. A journey with new friends, to new places, and training for work which she dreams will bring a better life for her family start the story. Work placements which seem so suitable to start with, step by step lead to a murder, judgement and ‘diya’ — the law of the desert based on the will of those injured, an ‘eye for an eye’, or reconciliation.
‘…powerful and enthralling…’ –Glenys Osborne, author of Come Inside
‘Adèle Ogiér Jones has written a poignant and deeply moving story. Desert Diya is also an important work in that it explores the culture that drives women to the depths of unendurable misery. The story of Hana is told with simplicity and weaves its path with a fine intelligence. The journey uncoils with foreboding as Hana finds herself trapped in a country where she is considered merely cheap labour and subject to any employer’s demand. Her struggle with the justice system is harrowing and the outcome something I still reflect upon after closing the book.’ — Lin Van Hek, author of Katherine Mansfield’s Black Paper Fan
