Appearance and Illusion

‘What do you know about Kesheva?’ Wendy asks.

‘Kesheva? Central Asia. Used to be a Soviet Republic but struck out on its own in 1992, along with all the other Stans in that area. Run by adictator called Aslan Dargan and his family. Floating on oil. Why?’

‘I’ve just been offered a secondment to go and teach the President’s son for six months.’

‘Really? Make a bit of a change from here, won’t it?

‘Do you think I should go?’

‘What’s the dosh like?’

‘Tempting.’

‘Do you have any problems with a one-party dictatorship?’

‘No. I work here don’t I?


Dr. Wendy McPherson is a thirty-something academic English lecturer approaching a mid-life crisis. She has not been in a stable relationship for two years, drinks too much and is bored with her job. The offer of a teaching job tutoring the son of the dictator of the Central Asian country of Kesheva offers her a possible life-changing experience. But when she’s caught up in a violent revolution she finds her life in great danger and makes new discoveries about love and trust that turn her life around and give a new meaning to everything.