Wolseley - Softcover

Le Grange, J John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0620623632 ISBN 13: 9780620623636

Publisher: South Africa Writing, 2014

Synopsis

New South Africa emerged peacefully and full of hope after Apartheid. Yet life is looking desperate for one white family, struggling to survive. Martha, Hendrik and their daughter Magda are six months behind with their rent when they are finally asked to vacate their house in the quiet town of Wolseley. Selling their remaining things, they head to Cape Town, their last chance. Cape Town proves to be unconcerned with their misfortune and the broken family must navigate the streets. It is from the streets that they’ll learn that though Apartheid has ended, it is poverty that still segregates. Each character narrates their part of the story and the journey, moving further away from the hot coffee and sanity of Wolseley.

About this title

About the Author:

J. John le Grange studied creative writing at the University of Cape Town under novelist Joan Hambidge. He was a place winner in the 2000 Seoul Creative Writing competition and briefly edited South Africa Writing, a magazine for creative writers in South Africa. He lives in Cape Town. Wolseley received a commendation for the 2015 Dinaane Fiction Award.

Review:

"Martha and Hendrik live with their 18-year-old daughter in Wolseley, in a house they owe six months' rent on. Apartheid's end brought changes in their lives they didn't expect, including Hendrik's retrenchment. While he mutely fights off poverty, his wife finds ways to cope that tear their marriage apart. The author brings a different perspective to apartheid's aftermath, introducing a "white" world riddled with hopelessness." - Times Live

"A white South African family is at the end of a downward spiral. Facing eviction and running out of options, the family has been subsisting on Martha's salary from a 7-Eleven while her unemployed husband,Hendrik, has all but given up, teetering at the edge of sanity. Le Grange writes beautifully, laying out the story in direct, simple prose while at the same time infusing it with vivid symbolism and deeply evocative images... A profoundly affective novel brimming with solid writing that delves into the darker corners of being human." - Kirkus Review

About this edition

• Publisher: South Africa Writing
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0620623632
• ISBN 13: 9780620623636
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 174