LAST ORDERS AT HARRODS An African Tale

African drumbeats leave you in no doubt of the setting. THIS Harrods is a bar-restaurant in a mythical East-African country; THAT Harrods threatens to sue over the name. Owner Charity is determined that her business will survive. What follows is a fictional stew of the continent's ongoing problems--disease, corruption, violence--treated somewhat tongue in cheek. Jerome Pride gets the satiric tone just right as he mines the treasure trove of characters--officious visiting Brits, resident Japanese, local government leaders, and juvenile gang members. Early on, Charity's father explains, in an infectious lilt, that he got the name "Harrods" from a discarded shopping bag because Brit employers couldn't pronounce local monikers. Narrator Jerome Pride has no trouble, though. An edgy but delightful listen. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]