Have you ever felt like someone was watching over you during your darkest moments? Bruce Hill's Guides to Freedom explores this feeling through the story of invisible guardians who walk among us, helping people survive their worst experiences and find hope again.
The novel centers on SathS135, one of these unseen guides who's both ancient and tired from years of service. They are assigned to help Awa, a young girl from Mali who has lost everything-her family, her home, her sense of safety-to war and violence. Awa is tough and spirited, but she's carrying wounds that run deep.
What makes this story compelling is how Hill shows the tension SathS135 faces. They want to help Awa, but they can't just fix everything for her. There are rules they have to follow, set by something called the Authority that governs all the guides. They have to figure out when to step in and when to let Awa find her own way, even when it's painful to watch her struggle.
The guides themselves aren't immune to suffering. They feel love, loss, and frustration just like the people they're trying to help. SathS135 discovers that caring about someone-really caring-means accepting that you can't always save them from pain.
Hill writes with a gentle touch that never feels heavy-handed, even when dealing with difficult subjects like war, orphanhood, and trauma. The book asks big questions about fate versus choice, about whether we're really in control of our lives, and about the small acts of kindness that can change everything.