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The Architecture of Loss
Z.P. Dala
A novel of forgiveness and reconciliation that shines light on the dark underbelly of South Africa?s fight for freedom and democracy.
Pegasus Books
July 2017
On Sale: July 4, 2017
384 pages ISBN: 1681774437 EAN: 9781681774435 Kindle: B01N53D02W Hardcover / e-Book
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Fiction Family Life
A novel of forgiveness and reconciliation that
shines light on the dark underbelly of South Africa’s fight
for freedom and democracy.
Estranged at the age of six from her mother, who sent her
away from her hometown of Brighton in rural Zululand,
brilliant architect Afroze Bhana has carved out an
impressive life for herself in Cape Town. But when she
receives word that her aging mother is desperately ill, she
finds herself compelled to return to her place of birth to
find answers about her painful childhood. Afroze arrives in Brighton to find that her mother,
Sylvie―who was a doctor and a fierce activist during the
dark days of the anti-apartheid struggle―is a shadow of her
formidable self, but Sylvie has still retained her sarcasm
and anger toward the daughter that she sent away. Somehow,
Sylvie cannot draw her daughter close, even facing the
looming threat of her own mortality. She remains in the
cottage of Afroze’s childhood, frozen in a world where she
surrounds herself with luxury and garish indulgences, cared
for by the fiercely protective Halaima, a Malawian refugee.
Especially painful for Afroze is the love and affection that
Sylvie showers on Bibi, Halaima’s pampered and precocious
daughter―love which she could never give her own daughter. A moving novel about the complexities of family ties,
The Architecture of Loss beautifully explores the
ways in which the anti-apartheid struggle―a struggle in
which the roles of women have been largely
overlooked―irrevocably damaged many of its unsung heroes.
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