The Tears of Dark Water by Corban Addison

This lengthy, complex novel with myriad characters tackles a timely issue: piracy in the Indian Ocean. Americans Daniel Parker and his teenage son Quentin are captured on their boat by Ismail and six other disillusioned Somali youth. They, along with many Somalis, despise the United States for its intervention in their nation and the way it “soldiered on, acting as if its might guaranteed the righteousness of its cause.”

When the U.S. government sends in the Navy and top negotiator Paul Derrick to secure the release of the hostages, tragedy results. The pirates are brought to the U.S. to stand trial. Paul Derrick’s sister Megan, a lawyer, agrees to defend Ismail. She travels to Somalia to understand his story, finally presenting the court with a difficult dilemma: “Is our justice system beholden primarily to the interests of national security, or are we beholden to the truth?”

The Tears of Dark Water is Addison’s third novel to deal with challenging, at times uncomfortable, issues that present readers with the choice of seeing or ignoring the humanity of all people, including their enemies. (HarperCollins Canada)