Random Things Tours: The Shot by Sarah Sultoon

 

There are not enough (good) books - novels - featuring the brave and challenging work of journalists, particularly those dispatched in the Middle East. The Shot, published this month by the intriguing Orenda Books makes a noteworthy difference.

I am tempted to believe that journalists with vast experience in the field are the best suited to write literary renditions of their eventful daily lives. More than in other kind of jobs, journalists do have their own codes and deep understanding of things that otherwise would be completely out of sight for an outsider. Sarah Sultoon, ex-CNN news executive do gathered enough experiences to write at least one good book. The Shot is her second but my first and I may confess that could not leave it until the end. With a big sight that it´s finally over and I may wait a bit until a next book by her.

Samira, a TV journalist, and Kris, a star photographer, found themselves entangled in a complex web of circumstances, from the US invasion of Iraq to Afghanistan and the genocide in Darfour. A up-and-coming journalist before taking this vital assignment for surviving her career, she is facing morla challenges and dilemma, following her encounters on the ground. Her character is one of the best in the book, evolving smoothly from a relatively office journalist to a courageous conflict reporter. 

Instead of making ideological statements and displaying openly a political stance, Sultoon created circumstances and a dynamic cast of characters able to display the complexity of various situations created by political decisions. Journalists are not neutral pawns in such games, but communicators of both global crisis and individual human stories.

The prose is engaging with a good balance between dialogues and the storytelling framework. The pace is alert, with surprising twists turning the reader into an excited journalist keen to be part of the story as well.  Both the idea and the execution are good arguments that journalists can write excellent literature as well. 

The Shot is an intense geopolitical thriller from the kind I wish to see more published. Journalists from all over the world, especially those working in conflict zones do deserve a better and frequent representation.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own