"He remembers why he hadn't wanted the girl to come.  The last thing he needs is the past and its ghosts rising up, unbidden. It's hard enough coping with the goddamn present."

Jim Kennoway is forced to re-examine his life in this poignant story that weaves together Jim's experience in World War II and his love of ornithology.  Thirty years after the war has ended Jim has found himself at an impasse- his leg amputated above the knee, he is no longer able to do the things he loves and ostracizes himself to his family summer home in Maine.  His only wish is to be left alone, but the arrival of a letter notifying him of a summer guest leaves him with anything but his wish.  Jim is notified that the daughter of the young man who helped him sustain the war in the Solomon islands will be staying with him until she starts medical school at Yale.  With the arrival of this guest, Jim is forced to remember things he would rather not.

A sweeping story that will grab you either through the heartfelt and personal characters, rich history or natural history of the birds.  I especially enjoyed all of the information about the birds.  I really didn't know where Jim's story was going, but I went with the story to get there.  Told through three time periods, we piece together Jim's life to understand where he is now.  Jim's present life in 1970, Jim's time in the Solomon Islands in 1943 and Jim's childhood in 1917 slowly reveal clues to foreshadow Jim's actions.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.

I have no idea where to start with this book, it is definitely a book where you just have to read along and let the story take you for the ride.  I really had no idea where it was going to very near the end.  Somehow, Taona D. Chiveneko has woven a beautiful tapestry of a story that manages to combine the death penalty and botany like they were always meant to be together.  The writing is humorous and satirical with many great lines such as (my favorite): "Vengeance must never be rash.  If you approach it like diarrhea, you will soil yourself before you strike your enemy." 

The Hangman's Replacement will lead you on a wild adventure of connect-the-dots.  The first character we meet, Abel Muranda, our aspiring hangman, is a character I instantly liked.  Determined to do good for his family (and have access to free health care!), he walks for three weeks from his small village to the big city of Harare in order to interview for the Hangman position.  After his interview a very complicated web of politics and plant genetics emerges (too much to explain here). 

Also, if you do read this check out all the stuff at the very end of the book.

The Hangman's Replacement was received for free in return for an honest review.