Shaun McQuade, a Canadian diplomat, heads a U.N. sub-committee sent out to investigate reports of atrocities in Portuguese African territory. There he finds a country in turmoil: heinous slaughter, torture, and massacres of innocent men, women and children are committed by both the Portuguese and Angolique's guerrilla armies.
As the war rages on, McQuade's own efforts are questioned and he is publicly criticised for meddling in Angolique's complicated political web. With his personal life torn to shreds by world media, he realises the true political implications of this war and of his own impotence to stop any of it. The black man and the white man, equally wrong and brutal in their conduct: a world of blackmail and murder in which hypocrisy and morality must finally clash.
Finally, as American-backed UN forces stand ready to move in, McQuade must make a decision that will not only change the course of Angolique's history, but could rip his own family apart.
Praise for One Man in the World
'James Barlow pulls no punches. His accounts of the vicious fighting are horrifying. The novel's great strength is its authenticity, derived from an intimate knowledge of both the United Nations and of Africa ... honest and honourable'
Times Literary Supplement
'A major novel, perhaps one of the best ever written about international politics.'
Publishers' Weekly
'Barlow has a rare cool gift for describing violence. With blood-chilling veracity he re-creates the horrors of African civil strife. His novel is not for the squeamish ... It is what I call a "bread book"; one takes nourishment from it.'
Chicago Tribune
'A first-rate novel.'
The Cleveland Press
'What impresses here is the impartiality as well as deep concern with which the author constructs the scene ... It is to his great credit that both sides are allowed to justify themselves ... James Barlow creates his effects through strong contrasts and his hero is well done, a man who is both tough and sensitive'
Sunday Times
'... fresh and provocative ... every word of it is worthwhile'
Irish Times
Genre: Mystery
As the war rages on, McQuade's own efforts are questioned and he is publicly criticised for meddling in Angolique's complicated political web. With his personal life torn to shreds by world media, he realises the true political implications of this war and of his own impotence to stop any of it. The black man and the white man, equally wrong and brutal in their conduct: a world of blackmail and murder in which hypocrisy and morality must finally clash.
Finally, as American-backed UN forces stand ready to move in, McQuade must make a decision that will not only change the course of Angolique's history, but could rip his own family apart.
Praise for One Man in the World
'James Barlow pulls no punches. His accounts of the vicious fighting are horrifying. The novel's great strength is its authenticity, derived from an intimate knowledge of both the United Nations and of Africa ... honest and honourable'
Times Literary Supplement
'A major novel, perhaps one of the best ever written about international politics.'
Publishers' Weekly
'Barlow has a rare cool gift for describing violence. With blood-chilling veracity he re-creates the horrors of African civil strife. His novel is not for the squeamish ... It is what I call a "bread book"; one takes nourishment from it.'
Chicago Tribune
'A first-rate novel.'
The Cleveland Press
'What impresses here is the impartiality as well as deep concern with which the author constructs the scene ... It is to his great credit that both sides are allowed to justify themselves ... James Barlow creates his effects through strong contrasts and his hero is well done, a man who is both tough and sensitive'
Sunday Times
'... fresh and provocative ... every word of it is worthwhile'
Irish Times
Genre: Mystery
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