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Die dood van Rachel April is ’n moordraaisel met ruggraat — en siel. P.P. Fourie skryf met integriteit, styl én insig. Hier vind jy nie net spanning nie, maar ’n fyn verweefde verhaal oor identiteit, kleur, skuld en versoening.
Toe Lesea du Plessis se vriendin Rachel met ’n steekwond in haar hart gevind word, belowe sy vir Rachel se dogtertjie antwoorde — en so begin ’n speurtog wat persoonlik én gevaarlik word. Die intrige lei haar na ’n Anglo-Boereoorlogmuseum, waar Rachel iets belangriks ontdek het. Maar iemand wil die waarheid wegsteek.
Fourie se gebruik van geskiedenis — en die teenwoordigheid van Vincent van Gogh en sy broer — bring ’n nuwe dimensie aan die storie. Die temas van ras, aanneming, en die fyn balans tussen vergifnis en goedkeuring is roerend én relevant.
Die roman is poëties in struktuur: dit begin en eindig met die Vrystaatse graslandskap — eers in herfs, laaste in somer. ’n Simboliese reis van bewuswording tot vrede.
Aanbeveel vir:
Lesers wat hou van slim fiksie met siel. As jy fassinerende karakters, historiese dimensie, en Afrikaans wat werk, waardeer — lees hierdie boek.
Fantastic book, taking you on an art journey through time.
Please stick this book in South Africa, I have been looking for this book for almost two years and had to wait more than a month to get it SA. The Homeschooling/ teachers community will support the sticking of this book.
Thouraly enjoying the read as it brings back memories of me growing up in the apartheid era as well and being evicted by the group areas act as a child.
I was absolutely not prepared for the emotional depth of this book. It quietly gutted me, in the best possible way. Ridzén’s debut is a slow, intimate portrait of aging, masculinity, and the aching complexity of love—especially the kind that struggles to find expression.
We follow Bo, nearly 90, living in rural Sweden, as he clings to the last remnants of his independence: his dog Sixten, his memories, and the fading presence of his wife Fredrika, who no longer remembers him. The plot may seem deceptively small—Bo’s carers and son want to remove Sixten for safety reasons—but the emotional territory is vast. It's about dignity, agency, and the grief that is quiet, muted, and swallowed whole.
Bo’s internal monologue, often addressed to Fredrika, is heartbreakingly intimate. We get his thoughts in fragments—short chapters, memories, quiet reckonings—and it makes the whole experience feel like reading someone’s soul, not just their story. The tension between Bo’s carers’ logbook and his own reflections is subtle and brilliantly done. It reminds you how invisible older people can feel, even when they’re being actively cared for.
What stood out most was the nuanced portrayal of masculinity—how trauma and pride can warp the ability to express love, even when it’s deeply felt. Bo is stubborn, loveable, and deeply familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a loved one navigate aging. His friendship with Ture was a highlight, and Sixten is far more than a pet; he’s Bo’s lifeline.
This book made me cry—ugly cry—and think about my stepfather, my parents, myself. The ending, while gentle and inevitable, left me speechless. Ridzén never strays into sentimentality; the writing is spare and devastatingly effective.
Definitely not a fast-paced read, and it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you appreciate character-driven novels that explore aging, family, and emotional restraint with tenderness and honesty, this one will stay with you.
And, fair warning: do not read the final chapters in public.
Sidney Gilroy se Bloedsomer is ’n intense, atmosfeerryke Suid-Afrikaanse misdaadroman wat jou vaspen van die eerste bladsye af. Petunia Moraleng – degradéerde speurder en voormalige stasiebevelvoerder – bevind haarself in die stranddorp Mooibaai waar die oorskot van twee jong vroue ontdek word. So begin ’n ondersoek wat nie net haar vermoëns toets nie, maar haar hele menswees.
Wat hierdie verhaal onderskei, is hoe wyd én diep dit delf:
- Die verhaallyn bly snaarstyf, met leidrade wat ’n ingewikkelde, boeiende legkaart vorm.
- Karakterontwikkeling is uitstaande – van Petunia se kompromieë en herinneringe tot die bisarre, intense figuur van Arno, wat die leser laat weeg tussen goed en kwaad.
- Gilroy se skryfstyl is pittig, beeldryk en eerlik, met beskrywings wat óf laat lag óf 'n knop in die keel vorm.
- Die roman ondersoek aktuele temas soos mensehandel, korrupsie, geestesgesondheid en die skemerkant van familiegeheime.
Hoewel die eerste paar hoofstukke met karakters en inligting oorlaai voel, neem die verhaal vinnig vorm aan. Vir my was dit 'n stewige, vermaaklike lees vol genuanseerde oomblikke en 'n onvergeetlike protagonis. Alhoewel, oor die algemeen, ek nie 'n groot aanhanger van 'n "gesplete persoonlikheid"/ dissosiatiewe identiteitsteuring storielyn is nie, het die ander elemente goed gewerk. Dit is my eerste Sidney Gilroy boek, sien uit daarna om meer te lees.
