THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett (R200, Penguin)
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Charlene Rolls
This powerful novel, which won the Exclusive Books 2009 Boeke prize, focuses on three extraordinary woman. Aibileen is a black domestic worker who has raised 17 white children. Her best friend is Minny Jackson, a mom of four who can’t stop backchatting her bosses. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is the recently graduated daughter of a white cotton farmer and is unaware of the racial tension simmering in their town, Jackson, Mississippi. Together they do something so dangerous they could be jailed - or worse, killed. It’s a time in American history when black maids are treated terribly. They raise white women’s children but aren’t allowed to use the same toilet.
Skeeter helps the maids tell their stories and what unfolds is an amazing insight into the lives of “the help” and the women they serve. This is a tale of hope and bravery with a lot of relevance to our country’s history.
SLEEPER’S WAKE by Alistair Morgan (R190, Penguin)
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Tsholofele Segage-Modise
In his debut novel Alistair Morgan tells of a man dealing with immense tragedy after an accident strips him of his sense of being. John Wraith’s life revolves around his wife and daughter and he plans a holiday to see if he and his wife can conceive a second child. But he wakes up with a bad headache and memory loss and is told his precious family has been wiped out.
To deal with his loss John seeks refuge in his sister’s isolated cottage in Nature’s Valley and shuns human contact. Then he meets a family trying to overcome the violent death of their mom. It’s the teenage girl, Jackie, whose plight most touches his soul. As his relationship with the disturbed teenager deepens John is at the same time attracted to and repulsed by her and this leads to some unnerving soul-searching. This is a brutal yet brilliant examination of loss and obsession.
WIN
Three readers will each win a copy of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. SMS the word HELP, your name and address to 34923 by 5 pm on 5 November 2009. Each SMS costs R2.
