 Title: The Tortoise Cried its Only Tear
Author: Carol Campbell Reviewer: Gail Gilbride It’s a dark night in the Karoo, and a bloodied young woman is running along a deserted dust road. Siena is determined to reach Seekoegat Primary School, her only safe haven. It’s a three-day ride on a donkey cart and she only has her legs to carry her now. Siena's people are dispossessed karretjiemense, travelling by donkey cart and searching for small jobs in order to survive another day. Her wild childhood is shared with the even more neglected Boetie and they become inseparable, until a dramatic incident enrages the farmer’s wife and their lives are changed forever. Siena is packed off to Seekoegat Primary school as a boarder. There, she befriends children of a similar background and takes to her lessons like a true scholar. Kriekie, the boy with deformed hands and the son of a sex worker, becomes besotted with the kind new girl, Siena, who takes him under her wing. Sometimes, Siena even dares to dream of a future, which would open up a new world… The two boys and Siena, meet up again as adults and their shared history results in an unexpected twist. Once again, Carol Campbell has created a highly sensitive story of marginalised people. She takes us right into their lives and offers us insight into a world we are mostly unaware of. In doing so, Campbell affords the karretjiemense dignity and respect. The tortoise, an animal that embodies ancient wisdom and which cries only one tear when it dies, is central to this poignant story and an icon in the stark landscape that Siena’s people embrace as their home. Reviewer: Gail Gilbride Author of Under the African Sun
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 Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern Reviewer: Theresa Smith The Night Circus is a delightful dream of tale about a magical circus that only opens at night. Set over several years at the end of the 19th century the story of two magicians dueling to satisfy a bet made by a their respective masters is also a tale about thwarted love. It is a mix of intense, creative descriptions of the fin-de-siecle circus and more staid, prosaic passages detailing the relationship between Celia, the enchanter’s daughter and Marco, the sorcerer’s apprentice. The characters who make up the circus are intriguing but Celia and Marco get the most development and the best bits are really when the author takes you around the circus. Wandering around the black and white tents, discovering its dazzling secrets is the stuff a circus of dreams is made of. Author Erin Morgenstern wrote this book through the online NaNoWriMo challenge which runs over the month of November. People commit and are encouraged to write 50 000 words and this book is what Morgenstern created. I liked the nonlinear approach from the point of view of different characters and loved the passages about what happens in the circus - this is a place I would love to visit. But it is always a description of how magical everything is, only afterwards do you realise the descriptions are actually non-specific as to what is so magical, just that it is magical. The short cinematic aspect to the chapters makes me think this would make a great movie setting in the hands of a very creative director like Guillermo del Toro or Peter Jackson. The book is testament to the idea that a story is not only created by the author but also by the reader. Every time we read a book we use our imagination to create a world and this story gives you enough to create a truly magical one. That makes it worth reading  Title: Moss
Author: Mary watson Reviewer: Gail Gilbride The secret moss garden is where Evie and her father walk after dark. The ‘virgin Jessica’ and the Warlock girls hang out in the metal scrap yard and play strange games. The Brethren and their fanatical congregation, force an adulteress to drag a boulder up a hill, while they judge and jeer. These exquisitely written short stories about good and evil, blur the boundaries at times and question the definitions of wholesomeness, passion and religious belief. Mary Watson’s command of language and attention to detail, results in subtle, lyrical prose which needs to be savoured. This is not a collection to be raced through, but rather read at leisure, in order to absorb the many layers of meaning and intensity, in each inter-related piece. The mythical, nuanced stories weave into each other and yet stand on their own at the same time, touching on themes of innocence and loss, strength and vulnerability, and the human condition in general. If you are after a light read, I would say this is not it. But if you are looking for a deeply meaningful collection, don’t miss Moss. Reviewer: Gail Gilbride Author of Under the African Sun |
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