From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up This story of a fateful year in a girl's life takes place in 1960s apartheid South Africa. In order to divert attention away from their failing marriage, Emily's emotionally distant parents invite a family to stay in a camper in their yard. Emily befriends the younger son, Streak, while the older son, Otis, who is clearly brain damaged, becomes almost a devoted shadow to her gentle and loving older sister, Sarah. It soon becomes clear that the boys' father beats them regularly, and that one of his beatings most likely led to Otis's condition. Emily increasingly looks to Buza, the night watchman, for love and reassurance, and he shares folktales and traditional Zulu wisdom with her. The relationship between Otis and Sarah becomes more and more tense, and Otis rapes her. Through tragedy, the girls' parents finally come to a truce. Emily's relationships with the people close to her ring true, and her friendship with Streak has its touching moments. However, the dialogue is uneven. Streak's semi-educated speech, for instance, sounds more American than South African. While the story has emotional power and shows something of the class and race relationships of the time, it lacks a deep grounding in the social context, such as that shown in Beverley Naidoo's collection
Out of Bounds (HarperCollins, 2003). Instead, it focuses primarily on Emily and her tragic family circumstances. Suggest this one to readers who are always looking for a sad book.
Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 8-11. Growing up in a wooded Johannesburg suburb 40 years ago, Emily, 12, takes her white privilege for granted. Her anguish is mostly about her parents' daily fights, and when they take in a family of wandering Australians, "Gypsies," she hopes tensions at home will ease. As it turns out, the Gypsy trailer holds unspeakable violence that spills over into Emily's family. Seen through Emily's viewpoint, the characters are one-dimensional: her perfect older sister ("pure and good"); adulterous, narcissistic Mother; cold, distracted Father. In contrast there's Buza, the wise, saintly Zulu night watchman, who teaches and comforts Emily with stories--from Zulu folklore to Mandela's speech in court. What will hold readers in this first novel are the powerful family story and the horror of the racist regime. Buza is Emily's true parent-caregiver, and only later does she confront the distress of his legally enforced, lifelong isolation from his real daughter and family. When Buza is arrested for not having appropriate papers, Emily finally sees the daily police brutality, and the war of apartheid enters her home. For more about coming-of-age in a racist regime, see the adjacent Read-alikes: "Growing Up under Apartheid."
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
