The Afrikaner

As an ex South African I was immediately drawn into the African way of life and explored the bush which was handled with sensitivity and poise.  An exquisitely written book which deserves to be read

It is always refreshing for a reader to come across a strong female character, fleshed out and with unambiguous drive; Dagnino's transcultural novel takes place in 1996 in South Africa, during the "turmoils caused from the Apartheid regime to the first democratically elected black government" and, thus, consists of a poignant narrative not only about the psychology of the heroine, Zoe, a privileged white Afrikaner, but also about the historical and political climate of South Africa.

This book was truly beautiful, lyrical, and compelling, and this is a story brimming with character and place.  Arianna Dagnino writes in a way that is attractive and hard to dismiss.  The Afrikaner is quite a reading experience, and one I would gladly recommend to others.

This is a superb novel, immense in its range and subject. Brave in its use of the science of palaeontology to be a simile for the more recent political struggle in South Africa, its people and tribes that live in that culture and inhabit the land.
Zoe Du Plessis is the product of the white heritage in South Africa able to trace her ancestry back over 300 years. But the political reality now has a new regime in power, post apartheid it is a time where many of her Afrikaner people are re-evaluating their futures. She is a recognised professor looking for evidence of the first humans that walked this planet. The cradle of civilisation is believed to be East Africa and her research department is looking for fossil evidence to support the emergence of hominoids and human society.
The changes the book explores are political, scientific and personal relationships. In Zoe’s case her life is devastated and brought into historical context by the death of her lover and colleague, Dario Oldani. 
It is always a sumptuous read; the authors words expand the panorama of the vast hinterland of the veld and desert areas. You feel a sense of place, it’s smells and sounds you see to distant horizons and understand those who have gone before. This writing infuses both the open spaces as well as the menace of downtown city roads and the fragrant coastal air.
I loved the why characters adjust to grief and loss no more so than Zoe but the fun runs through several individuals we meet.
The voice of the indigenous people; their simplicity, their oral traditions and the threat to their way of life and future is also introduced. Their ways of coping and embracement of an uncertain future is humbling and also a passed over concern, it seems like it has always been this way.
This is a book that talks about time; quantified by generations, scientific knowledge, imprisonment and opportunity. Zoe’s life is on hold. Buried like the elusive fossils she searches for and seemingly time-locked by superstition and shadows from her family’s genealogy.
How this is worked out makes this such a compelling read. In the process the dark past of Africa is shared on a canvas of the colours, traditions and culture of a fascinating geographical place.
I was moved by the sense of borders, the symbol of footprints and the question to the writer in the novel here who Zoe says can manipulate time.
It is a piece of literature that seems never ending in its focus, exploring issues that begin with an African Eve but offering in its conclusion that things can change, choices embraced and new relationships made. The ending is just wonderful and fitting, meaning the book will never leave me.

There is a lot going on in this book ranging from the murder of the main characters lover, to her family history, the use of paleontology as a comparison to political struggles, racism and inequality. It's complex and well written, but it just didn't speak to me. I just couldn't relate to the main character. I may come back and try again later. This book may have suffered from timing with other books of a similar nature so I may go back and try again at a later date, but as of this moment the book just doesn't speak to me. I think that if you're interested in books with a little drama, a little magic, and a wallop of socio-political commentary this book will be right up your alley. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for this book. All opinions are my own.

Overall I think this is a well written and engaging story about one woman's search for answers. But there’s also a lot going on in this one. It took me a little longer than normal to get through it but once I did, I really liked the story. Set in South Africa after the apartheid the story follows a fossil hunter who is haunted by a family curse.  I loved the setting as well as the sheer brilliance of the main character. Most of all I loved the description of the people and the land.

This thoughtful and intelligent novel is set in South Africa in 1996 during the transition from the apartheid regime to the first democratically elected black government.  From the Cape to the Kalahari we follow Zoe du Plessis, an Afrikaner, as she searches for answers not only in her professional field as a palaeontologist but in her personal life. Multiculturalism, or transculturalism as some reviewers have termed it, is at the heart of the novel, as both whites and blacks explore issues of identity, guilt, atonement and, it is to be hoped, reconciliation. The tensions between the various racial and cultural groups are sensitively handled and the changing society in post-colonial South Africa is clearly delineated. Vivid descriptions of the African landscape and empathetic depictions of traditional ways of life enhance the reading, as does the scientific aspect of Zoe’s quest to explore the very origins of mankind. It’s a wide-ranging novel, with many issues being examined, and in some ways it’s difficult to decide what the primary focus is. Perhaps there is just too much here and a narrower focus might have been more successful. Although I enjoyed the novel I didn’t warm to Zoe herself, finding that she remained opaque to me, and that meant I wasn’t as emotionally involved as I would have liked. Nevertheless, it’s a well-written and well-paced novel that opens up post-apartheid South Africa with insight and empathy.

I enjoyed the book and really liked it. The narration and storytelling was too good. Waiting to hear more from the author. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.