Saviors: A Novel

Saviors is a polyphonic, genre-blending contemporary novel about the clashes between American missionaries and Ugandan activists, healthcare workers, journalists, and mothers. Fresh out of high school, a white American evangelical missionary named Chloe Johnston feels called by God to serve in Uganda. Despite lacking formal medical training or local knowledge, she raises funds from church circles back home to establish a nonprofit clinic serving vulnerable children. She documents her efforts on a blog, gaining a loyal online following and donor base, and becoming a celebrity among American missionaries and aid workers in Uganda.

However, not everyone is convinced of Chloe’s goodness. Her Ugandan medical team complains that she believes she knows best. She overrules their decisions and insists on performing procedures herself. Some clients are uncomfortable with her demands to photograph their sick children for her blog. Yet, Chloe’s critics are afraid to challenge her openly. They don’t want to lose their jobs or see the nonprofit’s essential services shut down. But when Chloe’s actions endanger a child’s life, an internet activist group intervenes, sparking a heated debate. Some label Chloe a dangerous white savior. Others defend her for stepping in when the government and healthcare systems fail. Amid this, Chloe accuses a mother named Mercy of trafficking her own children, and Mercy’s story becomes a battleground for both sides. But Mercy is no victim; she’s a fierce advocate for her children and her community. Inspired by shocking real events, told through alternating points of view, and employing various narrative forms, Saviors dissects the intricacies of race, religion, charity, and neocolonialism, challenging the distinction between seductions and solutions, and raising thorny questions about the possibilities and distortions of love.