samosa—small triangles of dough filled with varied meat, vegetables, and spices, of Indian origin, commonly served across East Africa
waragi—Ugandan liquor, similar to gin
A NOTE ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF NAMES
The “c” in Acholi is pronounced like the “ch” in the English word “church”; thus, the name Ocen is pronounced “O-chen.” The word “Acholi” is also often written as “Acoli,” with the same pronunciation; I have used the more common “Acholi” throughout.
The name Kony is pronounced “Koh-nee” by Westerners; in Acholi the name is a single syllable pronounced like the word “cognac” minus the “ac” (thanks to Oryem Nyeko for the description).
The name Sabine is often pronounced “Suh-been” by English speakers; in German it is “Zah-been-uh.”
BOOK CLUB READERS’ GUIDE
Warning: spoiler alert! To preserve enjoyment of the novel, please review this section after you’ve finished the book.
1. How much did you know about northern Uganda before you read the novel? Do you feel like your perspective has changed?
2. Who did you connect with more, Rose or Sabine?
3. What is justice in this novel? Can wrongs be righted?
4. Did Rose’s revelation about her ties to Joseph Kony take you by surprise? Would it have changed the way you felt about her if you knew the truth from the start?
5. Sabine’s career choice was shaped in large part by her guilt over her grandfather’s secret. Do you have family secrets or parts of your family history that have influenced your choices in life?
6. Was Lily’s decision to search for Opiyo noble, or was it selfish? What if she had been investigating ivory smuggling—would that change how you see her?
7. What does forgiveness mean to you? Can a person be forgiven for many years of wrong acts by a single good act? What about the reverse? Should a person be condemned for a single wrong act after many years of doing good?
8. The Aboke abductions in 1996 were given little attention by the U.S. media. On the other hand, the 2014 kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram sparked worldwide outrage and demand for international action—the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was even shared by First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. Do you think this disparity can be attributed solely to the rise of social media? Or have attitudes shifted in the eighteen years between these incidents?
9. Do you think a single person can make a difference? Why would it be dangerous to think so? Why would it be dangerous not to think so?
10. What do you think lies ahead for the characters in this novel?
11. The author has said that she feels the novel ends hopefully, if not happily. Do you agree? Why or why not?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Atlas of Forgotten Places began years before the first word was written, when I was a volunteer with the Lutheran World Federation Uganda/Sudan in 2006; many thanks to the entire staff of the LWF for welcoming me so graciously into their fold. I was lucky enough to have the guidance of experienced aid workers Sarah Moldenhauer and Wiebke Hoeing, both of whom also provided invaluable feedback on drafts of the novel and who remain dear, if faraway, friends. During that period and on subsequent visits to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I relied heavily on the generosity and openness of countless colleagues and acquaintances. Thank you especially to Henni Alava, Akoch Emmanuel, Craig Kippels, Barbara Meier, Preston Nix, Karin van Bemmel, and the staff and rangers of Garamba National Park for insight, logistical support, and pointing me toward further resources.
Teachers & Writers Collaborative, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Elizabeth George Foundation have, at various moments, provided financial support and encouragement exactly when I most needed both. The faculty of the Brooklyn College MFA program taught me unparalleled lessons in craft; my fellow MFA cohort, lessons in life (Jonas, Heidi, Michelle, Anna P., Anna H., Ria, Julia, Alberto, Nikita, Joanna, Susan, and Catherine: thank you!). Special appreciation to Richard Bausch for encouragement and for bringing together a wonderful group of writers in our Chapman workshop. And huge thanks go to my agent, Marly Rusoff, who has been a source of wisdom and an advocate for this novel from the beginning, when it was still a handful of chapters and a lot of big ideas.
Atlas benefited enormously from readings by Christian Acemah, Stephanie Bosch, Erika Mailman, Sarah Menkedick, Helen Mugambi, and others whose names I’ve already mentioned. In all other matters, Katie Bellas, Jenny Diamond, Jenine Durland, Sylvana Habdank-Kolaczkowska, Christina Olivares, Sarah Richmond, and Jeevan Sivasubramaniam have been voices of reason and love for decades and more. Thank you to Sarah Moldenhauer and Marisa Handler, whose words I have shamelessly borrowed in two of the most important lines in this book; you said it better than I could ever have. The women of Write Club are wonders of strength and solidarity. The ’17 Scribes community has been terrific. And my Binders! You know who you are. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege.
I could not have been luckier for Atlas to find a home with Quressa Robinson, whose brilliant edits saved the book in more ways than one. I’m also deeply grateful to Laurie Chittenden and Lisa Bonvissuto, for stepping in to usher Atlas through its final stages. It’s an unfortunate truth of publishing that one must submit the final manuscript before becoming acquainted with all of the excellent people who will shepherd the novel through publication, often invisibly. My heartfelt thanks, therefore, to the entire Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press team—designers, copy editors, production managers, publicists, and many, many others—whose commitment to bringing this book to the world with integrity and grace is so dearly appreciated.
Gratitude to my parents, Scott and Sheelagh Williams, for giving me my most treasured inheritences: a yen for adventure, unflagging curiosity, and always a loving home to return to. Geoff: thank you for a million hours of road trip reading, for joining me at the tide pools on countless summer days, and for humbling me with your incisive wit.
And, Sebastian: in addition to conversation and companionship and all those nice things that make marriage worthwhile, thank you for making homemade ravioli and other gourmet dinners on nights when I would have eaten popcorn if left to my own devices. And all I know of comfort / is that I shot an arrow into the sky / and built a home where it landed. / All I know of love is that it is a rope / best tethered to moving objects.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JENNY D. WILLIAMS has lived in the United States, Uganda, and Germany. She holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and a BA from UC Berkeley. Her award-winning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and illustrations have been published in The Sun, Vela, and Ethical Traveler, as well as several anthologies. A former Teachers & Writers Collaborative fellow and recipient of an Elizabeth George Foundation grant for emerging writers, she currently lives in Seattle with her husband and dog. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Lily
Part I: The Missing
Chapter 1: Sabine
Chapter 2: Rose
Chapter 3: Sabine
Chapter 4: Rose
Chapter 5: Sabine
Chapter 6: Rose
Chapter 7: Sabine
Chapter 8: Rose
Chapter 9: Sabine
Chapter 10: Rose
Chapter 11: Sabine
Chapter 12: Rose
Ocen
Part II: The Resurrected
Chapter 13: Sabine
Chapter 14: Rose
Chapter 15: Sabine
Chapter 16: Rose
Chapter 17: Sabine
Chapter 18: Rose
Chapter 19: Sabine
Chapter 20: Rose
Chapter 21: Sabine
Chapter 22: Rose
Part III: The Dead
Chapter 23: Sabine
Chapter 24: Rose
Chapter 25: Sabine
Chapter 26: Rose
Author’s Note
Glossary of Acholi Terms
Book Club readers’ Guide
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
THE ATLAS OF FORGOTTEN PLACES. Copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Williams. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Jeremy Fink
Cover photographs: lines © Lidia Kubrak / Shutterstock.com; tree © Graeme Shannon / Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-12293-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-12294-0 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250122940
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First Edition: July 2017
The Atlas of Forgotten Places Page 35