It is 1943. Join Elf, an intrepid grandmother, on her secret journey of over 6,814 miles up the African continent. Based on her personal journals, Crossing the Rift recounts her remarkable tale of travelling alone as a sixty-four-year-old English woman, braving the dangers of World War II, and challenging terrain, to rejoin her unsuspecting husband in Palestine. Along the way, Elf encounters a diverse array of fellow travellers, and her journey by various modes of overland transport provides a vivid glimpse into a bygone era.

This captivating memoir is enriched by detailed maps and striking period photographs that bring both Elf's story and the beauty of Africa to life.