Karoo Plainsong

Barbara Mutch

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Lovereading Price £7.99

RRP: £7.99

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Why I wrote this book

Growing up in South Africa has been the most profound experience of my life. It is a deeply seductive – and conflicted – place. I wanted to write a novel that shone a light on this – that showed both its brilliance and its shadows.

This contrast within the country finds a parallel within Ada, who craves the order of the white household where she has been brought up, yet is drawn to the vibrancy of the township; who loves both classical music and the African beat of Miriam Makeba. But living with such extremes is not easy. Ada relishes – and fears – her contrasting worlds.

Few South African novels offer such a unique perspective, most tell their stories about the country from one side or the other. And with South Africa in the news following its successful staging of the World Cup, curiosity about the country is at an all-time high. People want to know more – and read more – about the Rainbow nation.

Karoo Plainsong offers another intriguing twist: A white author gets inside the head of her young black heroine – and tells her story in the first person. That’s different!

Barbara compares here work to the followign authors

Toni Morrison (“Beloved”)  -  unflinching descriptions of hardship
Ann Patchett (“Bel Canto”)  -  the crisp yet warm style similar to Ada’s maturing voice
Vikram Seth (“An Equal Music”)  -  the short chapters and the evocative musical theme
 

Synopsis

This vivid novel, set against a backdrop of apartheid, tells the story of Ada, an illegitimate, unschooled but brilliant pianist who grows up in service to a family of Irish immigrants. As apartheid tightens its grip, she is seduced into an illegal relationship and bears a mixed race child.

Forced to flee from the only home she knows, she must carve a life for herself, her daughter and her music in the bleak township that squats on the edge of the Karoo. Torn between love for her surrogate family and outrage at apartheid's sins, she embarks on a dangerous double life as friend - and potential foe - of both black and white.

A powerful tale of love, loss and redemption, this is a journey into the soul of a fractured nation. It illustrates two simultaneous but contrasting views of South Africa under apartheid – seen through the eyes of a remarkable black woman who holds on for the miracle. Fans of romance, fiction and history will enjoy this personal tale of woman’s survival in a time of turmoil.

Reviews

Lucie Whitehouse author of ‘The House at Midnight’ & ‘The Bed I Made’

'Writing rich and moving, redolent of the author's passion for South Africa'

 

Your book is a fantastic read, and a real treasure of South African writing. At times, I found it bringing up memories of the Karoo that had long been buried, some painful, some not. It's not the sort of book you can read as a novel, and then forget - it is too deep for that. I have to say, I believe that you have written a classic”. ML, London

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