Naomi Benarons debut novel follows Rwandan Jean Patrick Nkuba, a Tutsi, from his earliest dreams of becoming his countrys first Olympic medal contender in track, to the moment when he finds himself facing a mob of killers, with no choice but to vault over a wall and run for his life. In the years preceding the genocide, Jean Patricks world becomes ever more violent and restrictive, spinning toward the inevitable moment when the killing begins and he must leave behind the woman and country he loves. Benaron interweaves Rwandas politics, the beauty of its landscape, and the yearning and dedication of Jean Patrick himself into a tremendously moving story of the country and the characters unraveling and tentative new beginning.