True Colours

The poor treatment of women and their low social status in African culture is explored in this novel through the eyes of Hilda, whose life is turned upside down when she is sent to live with an abusive aunt at the age of seven. The abuse continues as Hilda grows older, as do her aunt's affairs with married men, and Hilda turns to Joshua, the son of one of the men, for comfort and protection. When Joshua's father offers her an opportunity to escape Africa, Hilda must turn to her inner strength and learn to trust her instincts.