#scatterlings

[the-hearth-and-the-wild]

Well, I offer a retuning of intention, a slightly more sober directive—to be of a place, to labour under a related indebtedness to a stretch of earth that you have not claimed but which has claimed you.

Martin Shaw, Scatterlings

[tigger8900]

Scatterlings, by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Abram van Zijl had been English once, or perhaps Dutch, but now considers himself to be African. Alisa is a Jamaican-English woman who'd come to Africa seeking the origin of her enslaved ancestors. Living together in South Africa, they've enjoyed a long marriage, albeit one troubled as of late, and have two children together. But it's 1927 and the Immorality Act has just been passed, criminalizing mixed-race relationships such as their own. Blinded by privilege he doesn't even realize he possesses, by the time Abram sees the danger to his family it's too late; desperate to save her children, Alisa commits an unforgivable act, one which will haunt her entire family as they seek refuge from those who would enforce the law.

This was a beautiful book about oppression, belonging, and what it means to find your home. Both Abram and Alisa are written as deeply flawed characters, Abram in his colonizer's naivete and Alisa in her all-consuming depression, but ones that ultimately evoke empathy. The inclusion of their daughter Dido's perspective provided a much-needed relief from what would likely have been too heavy and melancholy, if the only narrators had been adults. Her curious exploration of African folklore and tradition, first through Gloria and then through Josephina, brought the novel's themes home in a way neither of her parents had quite managed to accomplish.

Something that didn't entirely work for me was the character of Johannes, not so much what he represented as the reveal of his personal secret. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of what the story was about. Perhaps I misunderstood what was being implied, but it seemed like he was jealous of Alisa? It just seemed odd and a bit out of place.

Be warned: the ending of the story is an ambiguous one. You're not going to get a clear answer to the question of whether they get away or not. I was happy with the ending, but calibrate your expectations accordingly. This story is heavy on themes and emotions, but not so much on plot resolution.

[thebookdragon217]

"...some stories start in the middle because no one wants to hear the beginning. They can be told quickly because no one wants to know the details. Sometimes all that matters is the conclusion." Thanks to @bibliolifestyle for the gifted copy. Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe was a nice surprise. Manenzhe's writing style is poetic and magical. Her ability to weave a beautiful story filled with folklore and ancestral wisdom kept me captivated until the end. Manenzhe introduced characters with unique voices and perspectives. Although the novel was short, the story was full of deep themes of identity, nationalism, depression, suicidal ideations, trans-racial adoption, colonization and slavery, anti-Blackness, apartheid and miscegenation. The history of Capetown, South Africa is a prominent part of the story and really made me think about the ways that Black African peoples were stripped of their identities and met with racism and anti-Blackness even when they return home to reconnect. Manenzhe shows the ways that trans-racial adoptions don't automatically bring acceptance to Black adoptees. She shows how these same adoptees are left to navigate their identity and microagressions with no support from their adoptive parents because they are ambivalent of their own privilege and participation in colonization. I appreciated how she highlighted the depression and suicidal ideations that Alisa felt having to navigate white spaces and feeling disconnected from her African roots, despite having ancestral giftings. Manenzhe's story is a reminder of the power of storytelling in keeping cultures alive and staying connected to original homelands. The storytelling reminded me of When We Were Birds which I loved. If you enjoy literary and historical fiction interspersed with ancestral wisdom and folklore then consider giving this one a try. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author because this was a stunning debut. #Scatterlings #bibliolifestyle #tbr #RešoketšweManenzhe #bookish #bookrecommendations #books #bookphotography #bookstagram #SouthAfrica #Capetown #reading #amreading #bookcommunity #Africa #20booksbyblackwomen #bookstagrammer #bookreview (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmSmfhdLElu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Scatterlings: A Novel

​By Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe.

Design by Stephen Brayda.

[our-ewblog]

Rešoketšwe Manenzhe | Reflects on Scatterlings, Race Relations, and has a Message For Nathi Mthethwa

Rešoketšwe Manenzhe | Reflects on Scatterlings, Race Relations, and has a Message For Nathi Mthethwa

Q&A With Rešoketšwe Manenzhe Author of Scatterlings by Ezekiel Kekana Rešoketšwe Manenzhe is an award-winning author. She won the 2019 Writivism Short Story Prize and the 2019/2020 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award. In 2020, she released a book titled Scatterlings– published by Jacana Media. In this Q&A, Rešoketšwe reflects on writing Scatterlings, history and race in South Africa, creating diverse…

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[toknowtheland]

Martin Shaw speaking on myth, animism, language, and connecting with your landbase.

I (mostly) love how this guy thinks!

[zoethewriter]

This is one of those novels that you can describe as beautiful. The writing is so evocative and ambient, and the characters, even through all their trials, are written with a calm lyrical hand. The setting of old wine estates and old farm houses, vast plains and high mountains, drew such a good picture of the story and you could see it unfold in such a clear way. The story of this South African family in 1927 was an interesting one, it was an interesting look at the past.

In short, a thoughtful, well researched novel with sprinkles of folklore and a lot of history and character, written like poetry.

[be-kind-to-all-kind]

"When a slave died their soul went back to Africa because that was where we belonged. When the soul reached Africa it was greeted by the ancestors in the spirit realm. And once the soul was greeted, it waited for other souls of departed slaves so too, could be welcomed home. Every soul did this duty until it was reborn purer, again and again, because life is a stream that flows and flows endlessly into many bodies. In this way a deceased mother could return as your child, a lost slave could redeem a brutalised life; but first, the soul had to be returned to Africa. It was to be washed there, it had to touch paradise, home, heaven. And Africa was heaven." - Miss Alisa Miller (then Van Zijl) (from Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe) (one of my favourite books despite the terrible happenings)