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An epic story of espionage, love and sacrifice.
In 1970s Ethiopia, 13-year-old Elen, determined to escape her arranged marriage, secretly abandons her tiny village hoping to find her aunt living in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Meanwhile, Girmai escapes his abusive stepmother after the death of his beloved father, only to end up homeless and starving on the streets of the city. Overcoming the odds, Elen and Girmai both grow up to be successful business owners, each with their own lives and families
When the Derg regime overthrows the government, they turn Asmara into a nightmare of roaming bands of soldiers, who torture and kill civilians with impunity. Refusing to accept the injustice and mass killings of the Red Terror campaign, Elen and Girmai join the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front's (EPLF) underground network to fight for freedom.
The stakes rise as the horror of Derg-sanctioned torture leaks out of dissident detention centers. Elen and Girmai struggle to maintain their precarious fight for justice and a growing passion for each other. As they fall in love, they are faced with impossible choices, tragedy, and heroism in a cause much bigger than their own lives.
Based on a true story, Born at the End of the World is a powerful narrative of patriotism, love, camaraderie, and courage, no less uplifting or appalling than Schindler's List.
"Merhazion’s remarkable debut, based on a true story, is a heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful novel that juxtaposes a moving love story with the horrors of the Red Terror in Ethiopia during the late 1970s.” — Library Journal, starred review
"A determined Ethiopian woman enters the fight for Eritrean independence in Donica Merhazion’s riveting historical novel Born at the End of the World...a thrilling historical novel about a woman’s resilience and resistance." — Dontaná McPherson-Joseph, Foreword Magazine
"Inasmuch as Born at the End of the World is about love, it is also about language, the politics of language and the implications of these politics. Merhazion seeks to understand who we are behind our tongues, what ties bind and divide men on the basis of language." — Azubuike Obi, Afrocritik
Donica Merhazion is the author of Born at the End of the World, a debut historical novel inspired by her family’s experiences during Ethiopia’s Red Terror, a difficult period in the region’s history. Born in Ethiopia and shaped by life across Eritrea, Kenya, and the United States, she draws on personal and collective histories to explore themes of love, courage, memory, and survival. An educator and former journalist, Donica is passionate about exploring the power of storytelling to connect people across generations and cultures.