Fiction Addict

Genre: Political

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Publication Date: April 21, 2009

Reviewed by Ashley Barrett

After the death of his wife, Charles Anderson takes a break from cardiology to work at a refugee camp in the mountains of an Islamic country. But when the refugees never arrive, Charles wonders if someone took advantage of him. The camp grows tense while Charles and his companions, a German researcher, Elise, and the camp military officer, Sanjit Rai, encounter their own cultural gaps and wonder what they are doing in this “wind scoured field of stones on the other side of the earth.” As Charles waits for the refugees, he reflects on his work, his wife’s death and his son, Eric.

Suddenly, artillery fire echoes throughout the camp, the mission is aborted and the whole team is forced to endure a treacherous hike back to the city.

Right of Thirst provides a realistic and thoughtful look at reaching out to other cultures for the sake of “doing good.” The characters are believeable and the pace although reflective, moved quickly enough to hold my interest.

In the back matter of the book, Huyler explains that he intentionally left the country unnamed to keep the setting and the main character simultaneously allegorical and true to life. I found this unnecessary; it’s clear that he’s talking about Pakistan. Charles as the American struggling to reach out to another culture was a much better archetype than the unnamed country.

Frank Huyler is an emergency room physician in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a world traveler since childhood. He has previously published The Blood of Strangers, an essay collection, and The Law of Invisible Things, a novel.

I recommend Right of Thirst for the reader who enjoys “man against nature” conflicts and cultural collisions. Frank Huyler’s writing is polished writer and wrestles with universal questions like, “Can one person make a difference?”