By Night the Mountain Burns

This novel tells of childhood on a remote island off the west African coast. Superstition dominates in dark times and the hard-pressed islanders sacrifice their possessions to the enraged ocean. What of their lives will they save?

Both lyrical and unsparingly truthful, this novel draws on oral storytelling to illuminate a little-known corner of Africa.

Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel was born in 1966 in Equatorial Guinea. By Night the Mountain Burns is based on his memories of growing up on the remote Annobón Island. He made headlines in 2011 by embarking on a hunger strike in an anti-government protest.