Mother to Mother

At the center of this novel is the straightforward story of one mother reaching out to another, out of grief and poverty, attempting to understand her own son's actions and the world which has proved so unfair to her own family, as well as the family of the woman she writes. Where the actions, and even immediate circumstances, are understood, she struggles with the chain of events that have led to the ruin and heartbreak she sees around her, and Magona's simple and poetic style bring the full world of this confusion to life.

Magona is at her best when writing character-driven fiction that explores intersections of socio-political chaos and individual experience--this novel is no exception. Moving quickly, and maneuvering between past and show more present in the midst of a short and heartbroken letter, the novel is a masterpiece of smart and moving fiction. Magona's work isn't easy to find, but it is worth searching out.

Absolutely recommended. show less

A tragic, heart wrenching tale written in the form of a letter to the mother of an American girl who was killed by a black man in South Africa during the build up to the first democratic election from the murderer's mother. (The books is based on the murder of an American Fulbright Scholar who was murdered in much the same way as the character in the book) The book chronicles the life of Mandisa, the mother of the killer, as she tries to explain why the murder occurred. While not pardoning her son, Mandisa shows how the effects of Apartheid effected the youth during the early 1990s in a very compelling and sympathetic way.