The latest addition to my website is Marie Redonnet‘s La femme au Colt 45 [The Woman with the Colt 45]. Redonnet seemed to have stopped publishing but she has now appeared with a new novel and a new publisher. This novel is even grimmer than some of her previous works. It is set in two neighbouring and fictitious countries: Aziria and Santaria. Lora Sander and her husband Zuko ran the Magic Theatre in Aziria but it has now been closed down by the authorities and Zuko arrested, as the plays they put on were too critical of the dictator and his regime. Lora manages to flee to Santaria, illegally crossing a river between the two countries. However, Santaria is not much better than Aziria and Lora is raped and abused by various men, despite the Colt 45 she carries, inherited from her father. In the end, what matters to her most is finding out who the real Lora is, as opposed to the actress hidden behind the mask but much of the novel is about the abuse and violence women suffer during time of war and political instability as men take advantage of the lack of rule of law. Redonnet makes her point but this novel is certainly not an enjoyable read.