Troy Blacklaws

It is a freak accident that kills 14 year old Marsden, one sunny Christmas Day at Muizenberg, Cape Town. An accident that is the beginning of the end of a family. This book focusses on Douglas, Marsdens twin brother. Not only does he have to deal with the loss of his twin brother, but also with the loss of home. Home is the "liberal" Cape Town area, home is the ocean, home is his family. But, without his father, Douglas and his mother move to the Karoo, the barren landscape of South Africa. They start a new life in the village Klipdorp, joined by their dog Chaka, and the housekeeper Hope. It's not a friendly environment. The book deals with Douglas trying to understand his new environment, trying to adapt to the oceanless landscape, and the rough life in South Africa in the time of Apartheid.

The book is written in a sketchy and evocative style. It has short chapters, describing little scenes and details. The style focusses very much on the visual; short magical sentences evoke the landscapes in your imagination. However, for some reason, I couldn't identify with the main characters or with the story. It remained distant to me. I did appreciate the style, but in an intellectual rather than in an emotional way.… (more)