I wasn’t quite sure what I was reading when I read this novel, was this a work of fiction or a memoir? The main character was personally reflecting upon her own life, the death of her mother and the aftereffects. As I read, I also had a hard time understanding some of the chapters as they didn’t feel connected to the storyline and they seemed to come out of nowhere. I have mixed feeling about this novel as I thought the storyline was good but the delivery was not something that I enjoyed.
Thandi addresses being part of the individuals who are mixed race. Thandi is fair complexed and she is having a hard time deciding where she belongs. It becomes a racial and a heritage situation in which Thandi is having a difficult time finding her balance. Her parents were both educated and successful and as she describes them, I found her parents to be determined individuals who were significant in their surroundings. It was interesting listening to her describe the differences between her two homes, the one in America and the one in Africa. Thandi problems are soon amplified when her mother becomes sick and she eventually passes on. I liked the advice that her mother gave her about having a secret stash, “it can be anything, land, property, even a couple hundred dollars. You know, in case something goes wrong and you have to get the hell out of there.” Her mother was aggressive and she spoke her mind, yet her daughter lived with confusion. After her mother dies, Thandi starts to experience other emotions and this was another great part that I enjoyed in this novel. There were many great highlights in this novel but I felt that I was missing something in the chapters that confused me. Would I have loved this novel if everything had made sense?