Loading Search

• Buy this Book
• Book Creators
• Related Blog Posts
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

'I hear my father's cry and the earth goes wavy under my feet. My father runs to Marsden. He lifts my brother up in his arms, the way he carries firewood. He walks down to the sea, past the women who have abandoned umbrellas to clasp gog-eyed children. My brother's head flops as my father's feet sink into the beach sand.'

Fourteen-year-old Douglas Thomas watches in horror as his twin br... More

'I hear my father's cry and the earth goes wavy under my feet. My father runs to Marsden. He lifts my brother up in his arms, the way he carries firewood. He walks down to the sea, past the women who have abandoned umbrellas to clasp gog-eyed children. My brother's head flops as my father's feet sink into the beach sand.'

Fourteen-year-old Douglas Thomas watches in horror as his twin brother Marsden is killed in a fluke accident. In an instant, the secure world of his childhood in seaside in Muizenberg is turned upside down. As a result of Marsden's death, the family falls apart. Douglas and his mother move upcountry to a small town in the Karoo. Here they have to adjust to an arid, unforgiving place. We watch as, against the backdrop of the bitter conflict of 1970s South Africa, Douglas develops a clearer insight into himself and his place in the world.

In a prose evocative of time and place, Troy Blacklaws traces the story of Douglas's journey to maturity, at the same time giving us a glimpse into the psyche of a divided country.

You must be a member of JacketFlap to add a video to this page. Please Log In or Register.