Eva English and her sister Lizzie are on a missionary
journey in 1923 along the old Silk Road to Kashgar to bring
Christianity to the Moslem people. Lizzie believes she has a
calling to the mission field, but Eva is there with a
different motive. She has always felt the need to watch over
her younger sister, and is writing a book about her
experiences. She insisted on bringing her bicycle along on
the expedition.
Leaping forward almost a century to present day London,
Frieda Blakeman has arrived back home at her London flat to
learn that she is the sole survivor of Irene Guy, a lady she
cannot recall ever meeting, and must clean out this lady's
belongings within the week. Frieda also finds a stranger
sleeping on her doorstep. Frieda puts out a blanket and
pillow for him, and the next morning she discovers a
beautiful drawing on her wall. The blanket is folded neatly
and left beside her door.
The structure of A LADY CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO KASHGAR toggles
back and forth each chapter and blends three characters'
stories into two tales, set almost a century apart. Eva and
Lizzie, along with Millicent, an older missionary lady, find
much resistance when they arrive in Kashgar. They help a
young girl who gives birth to a baby right in the middle of
the road. The girl dies in childbirth, and Millicent charges
Eva with the responsibility of caring for the baby. Their
actions anger the Mohammad, and Millicent is charged with
murdering the girl. They are put on house arrest.
Meanwhile, Frieda goes to Irene Guy's home to look over her
belongings and tries to determine some kind of connection
between them. On her first visit, she cannot find anything
to link her to Irene. Her night visitor, Tayeb, returns to
her flat seeking Frieda's help; he's on the run, trying to
avoid deportation. He's been in London for fifteen years,
his visa has expired and the authorities are looking for
him. Frieda agrees to help him and she and Tayeb go through
Irene's effects together. A photograph found in a Bible
reveals a possible connection.
When Millicent is taken away by the authorities in Kashgar
and Lizzie dies from a self-imposed fast, Eva decides to
leave the country. Her travels back to England traverse some
treacherous ground and traveling is especially hard when you
are caring for a baby.
A LADY CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO KASHGAR, the debut novel by
Suzanne Joinson explores a clash of cultures and religions,
both historical and current. It is an exotic tale of distant
travels in some troublesome times. It's a story of lives
coming unraveled, of strained relationships and survival.
The two stories come together seamlessly as connection
between the two ladies is revealed. Although the stories
start off slow and tedious, A LADY CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO
KASHGAR evolves into a great read.
It is 1923. Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie are missionaries heading for the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Though Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, Eva’s motives are not quite as noble, but with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, she is ready for adventure. In present day London, a young woman, Frieda, returns from a long trip abroad to find a man sleeping outside her front door. She gives him a blanket and a pillow, and in the morning finds the bedding neatly folded and an exquisite drawing of a bird with a long feathery tail, some delicate Arabic writing, and a boat made out of a flock of seagulls on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together. A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into one other. Beautifully written, and peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, the novel interweaves the stories of Frieda and Eva, gradually revealing the links between them and the ways in which they each challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way toward home. A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar marks the debut of a wonderfully talented new writer.
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