I found this a tricky and not massively enjoyable read. The first section was repetitive and seemed intent on conveying to the reader only half of what was going on. There were paintings, evil fairies, vegetables, and - this being South Africa - a compulsory side order of hardened racism.

The back cover promised a forward-leap in time during the story and I found myself desperate for it to happen, in the hope that the presumably-unreliable narrator would become a bit more reliable with age. Unfortunately not - you have to wait for the very very end to be filled in on what actually happened. If asked to make a guess at the halfway stage, I would have guessed right, but I was glad to find that when it was all wrapped up I understood what the book had sought to convey - even going back and re-reading (and understanding) the weird first bit. Having feared that I would struggle through and still be none the wiser I was grateful for that much.

Maybe it's the state of affairs that has the white characters moaning about their miserable lives in a country where they have appropriated all the advantages that makes me dislike this sort of book, but anyway, just not my cup of tea. ( )

The first part of this - the story of Faith's childhood with her depressed and delusional mother - is nothing short of mesmerizing. The stories her mother tells her of the fairies and the other supernatural beings that surrounding their house are scary and intriguing and you can really emphasize with how this lonely little girl is affected by her surroundings. The second part lets this novel down something terribly, however. Gone is the magic of the fairies and the horrors of the Tokoloshe, and Faith turns into an indolent version of her mother. Although she does get redemption, I would have wanted it to come from herself, not through an external force. Unfortunately, what started with a bang ended with a whimper. It's a first novel, though, and Zadok is showing enough potential that I would pick up another of her books. ( )