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Book Review
Apr. 15th, 2013 12:26 amPhilida
by Andre Brink
This short, surprisingly lyrical novel is set in South Africa, in 1834, the year before the slaves were emancipated there. Brink based the story and characters on real people and events, including some of his ancestors. It is about Philida, a young slave woman on the Brink's farm, Zandvliet. She is involved in a semi-consensual relationship with Frans, one of the younger Brink sons, and has four children (two surviving) with him. Frans promised to free Philida, but now that his family wants to marry him off to an heiress, he reneges on the deal. Philida thus goes to the local magistrate in charge of slave matters to complain, which sets off tensions and conflicts that lead to Philida being sold upcountry. The story is told primarily by Philida, but some chapters have other narrators.
Philida is a wonderful character - as she becomes stronger and more self-aware, her humor, sensitivity, and spirit become more vivid. Philida's story provides a framework for her internal journey from slavery to freedom and discovery of her identity and self. The combination of the narrative and character development makes for a very affecting meditation on what slavery really is and what it means to be free.
The prose is really beautiful, and often quite lush while retaining an effective simplicity. Especially wonderful are Philida's observations of the natural world. It's a quiet book that kind of seeps into you.
One caution: given the subject matter, this book has a fair amount of brutality in it, at least half of which involves rape (only a couple of rape scenes, but plenty of reference to it).
by Andre Brink
This short, surprisingly lyrical novel is set in South Africa, in 1834, the year before the slaves were emancipated there. Brink based the story and characters on real people and events, including some of his ancestors. It is about Philida, a young slave woman on the Brink's farm, Zandvliet. She is involved in a semi-consensual relationship with Frans, one of the younger Brink sons, and has four children (two surviving) with him. Frans promised to free Philida, but now that his family wants to marry him off to an heiress, he reneges on the deal. Philida thus goes to the local magistrate in charge of slave matters to complain, which sets off tensions and conflicts that lead to Philida being sold upcountry. The story is told primarily by Philida, but some chapters have other narrators.
Philida is a wonderful character - as she becomes stronger and more self-aware, her humor, sensitivity, and spirit become more vivid. Philida's story provides a framework for her internal journey from slavery to freedom and discovery of her identity and self. The combination of the narrative and character development makes for a very affecting meditation on what slavery really is and what it means to be free.
The prose is really beautiful, and often quite lush while retaining an effective simplicity. Especially wonderful are Philida's observations of the natural world. It's a quiet book that kind of seeps into you.
One caution: given the subject matter, this book has a fair amount of brutality in it, at least half of which involves rape (only a couple of rape scenes, but plenty of reference to it).
