Three days in a 120 sq. ft cell
with 27 other prisoners

"I experienced this love your neighbour first golden rule during the terrorist war in Rhodesia and later during the farm invasions in Zimbabwe. As one man, no matter how many weapons I might possess, I could not save or protect everyone.

"We acknowledged an unwritten hierarchy of duties, immediate family -> close neighbours (including our farm workers) -> friends and more distant family -> tribe/culture -> nation -> western civilization."

On his about page, Peter describes how the police and military actively supported the confiscation of privately owned farmland. Thirteen farmers were murdered and "men and women beaten so severely that many never fully recovered."

Peter was eventually captured, underwent a five-hour interrogation, and then thrown in a 120-square foot cell with twenty-seven other prisoners for three days and nights.

"I had to face reality and realise that I could not protect my partner, my family and my animals from a prison cell," writes Peter.

He was forced to surrender his land and flee the country.

Peter had already faced severe struggles and loss in Rhodesia and South Africa. "I must be one of the very few people who has lost three properties in a lifetime all because of politics!"

Eventually he moved to Canada, and currently lives on a farm not far from me. We  both met and spoke at a local freedom rally on a cold and rainy day in my hometown of Stratford back in April. Peter Wright's a remarkably positive and grounded man. You'd never suspect he's been through so much hardship and violence. For this reason, I am honoured that he's written such a positive review of my novel, Much Ado About Corona.

"Running through the story like a warm current of benevolence is a thread of emerging romance, love, loyalty, compassion, bravery, and a desire to do the right thing no matter the cost," writes Peter in his review. "The poignant human touches often come when least expected and in a heartening counterpoint to the oppression and cruelty of the little tyrants wearing uniforms – and others who do not but who should know better."

You can read the full review on Peter Wright's Blog.

—John C. A. Manley

PS Peter Wright also had me on his podcast, The Yakking Show, where he, and his co-host Kathleen Beauvais, asked some great questions not just about the novel, but about how I escaped a religious cult in 2000 and why I don't think the moon landing ever happened. You can listen to the newly released episode here or watch it here.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/