Full of political intrigue and far-reaching corruption, Smouldering Charcoal illustrates the devastating injustice and inequality inflicted on society by the ruling classes in post-colonial Malawi.

Two couples - one poor and working class, the other college-educated and part of a rising middle class - both live under the brutal regime of The Leader. Inside his nation, secret informants are everywhere and any form of protest will get you killed.

Following their very different perspectives, they discover that violence and oppression has invaded every level of society. It soon becomes apparent that even after overthrowing an empire, one evil can simply be replaced by another...

'Compassionate and real, the book praises the tenacity of the human spirit without glamorizing it.' New Internationalist