I was quite intimidated by the book cover but when I started reading, I was just filled with sadness and warmth at the same time. This story is set in Cape Town just as apartheid was ending so this was a very interesting read. The only other book on Africa apartheid I’ve read was Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime. This story also focuses on the crime of interracial marriage and the taboo of having coloured children.

This story follows three generations of women from the same family - Rachel the grandmother, Yolanda the daughter and Ingrid the granddaughter. Yolanda left Cape Town twenty years ago after a traumatic experience changed her life forever. She escaped to the US and never looked back, not even at the daughter, Ingrid whom she left behind. Rachel took over the role as mother and grandmother to Ingrid. She wavered when she heard Rachel’s voice calling her home (like a sixth sense). Worried that something terrible had happened, she put aside her fear and went home. Yolanda returned home only to discover that Rachel had gone missing and Yolanda is embarking on a dangerous journey to discover her true identity. How will Yolanda overcome her fear and what lengths will she go to save a daughter she doesn’t know?
The stakes are high due to the apartheid that’s about to end in 1994 where uprisings and violence is at an all time high in the country.

In the foreword, Van Niekerk explains how racial classifications defines you in South Africa and share some of her own observations. This really opened my eyes the extent of apartheid in Africa and how a human being is defined solely by their skin colour and not what their capabilities are.

The story revolves around trauma and love, and fears between racism and violence amongst their people. There is also a touch of magic although I don’t see it as that. I see it more as a spiritual journey. I love the way Van Niekerk wrote about her characters and situations in a non-judgemental way. She weaved apartheid, societal constraints and strong maternal love and instincts beautifully. She also didn’t downplay the trauma Yolanda went through and how it tormented her for over twenty years. She may not have been the perfect mother because of her trauma but I loved that when Ingrid needed her, she stepped out of her fear and be a mother.

This is Van Niekerk’s debut novel and my, what a beautiful story she wrote! I enjoyed every bit of it very much. Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the arc.