Entrapped
Ann Jacobs

For eleven years Jamil al Hassan has been a prisoner in Iraq. His youthful nature has been beaten out of him by a sadistic jailer named Dubaq. Dubaq takes his torture seriously and he enjoys it immensely. Jamil has only been allowed to live because he has proven himself useful in the oil fields; but that doesn't stop Dubaq from torturing him day in and day out.

Dubaq's sister-in-Law, Leila al Sinan, was widowed in Desert Storm and her face and body burned to such a degree that she is ostracized from her own people. She decides to take out her sexual frustration on Jamil, who although chained, is more than a willing victim.

With American fighters flying overhead, the jailers know that the camp will soon be found and shut down. The last two remaining prisoners know that their lives will be forfeited if the camp is found. Jamil needs a plan to get free and Leila might just be what he needs.

The imagery that Ms. Jacobs brings to this tale is both beautiful and painful. Jamil has lost a good portion of his life, yet he finds the will to live. Leila has lost everything she ever held dear, but in her desperation will find something more. This is a moving tale of inner strength, the search for freedom, and love.

Entangled
Carroll Mavis-Raine

Laura, an American writer, has been exchanging letters with a convicted IRA member. Through his letters to her, his story draws her to Ireland. His picture and his words speak to her heart and she decides to relocate to Ireland to write about the Republican fight. Declan is everything she imagined he would be; the only problem being he is in prison serving time. Laura is content to share weekly visits with him, and to share "special" stolen moments. When Declan shows up at her flat with a gunshot wound, she cannot bring herself to turn him away, or to turn him in. Not even when he brings the IRA plight into her living room, and turns her into an accessory to a heinous crime.

Laura was an idealistic, weak-willed individual that could not find the strength to follow through with her convictions. Her love for Declan seemed a way for her to go along with everything and not really have to think for herself. Declan is practically unredeemable, although his past helps to make him more palatable. The "love" seems to be a crutch that Laura relies on. Ms. Mavis- Raine shows some true writing talent and I hope to read another story by her, but I felt that this story did not live up to its potential. Laura would have been a much stronger character had she been able to think for herself rather than get completely caught up in her love for Declan.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Sara Sawyer
September 4, 2003