Playing in the Light: A Novel

Synopsis

&“In her ambitious third novel, Wicomb explores South Africa&’s history through a woman&’s attempt to answer questions surrounding her past&” (The New Yorker). Set in a beautifully rendered 1990s Cape Town, Windham Campbell Prize winner Zoë Wicomb&’s celebrated novel revolves around Marion Campbell, who runs a travel agency but hates traveling, and who, in post-apartheid society, must negotiate the complexities of a knotty relationship with Brenda, her first black employee. As Alison McCulloch noted in the New York Times, &“Wicomb deftly explores the ghastly soup of racism in all its unglory—denial, tradition, habit, stupidity, fear—and manages to do so without moralizing or becoming formulaic.&” Caught in the narrow world of private interests and self-advancement, Marion eschews national politics until the Truth and Reconciliation Commission throws up information that brings into question not only her family&’s past but her identity and her rightful place in contemporary South African society. &“Stylistically nuanced and psychologically astute,&” Playing in the Light is as powerful in its depiction of Marion&’s personal journey as it is in its depiction of South Africa&’s bizarre, brutal history (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). &“Post-apartheid South Africa is indeed a new world . . . With this novel, Wicomb proves a keen guide.&” —The New York Times &“Delectable . . . Wicomb&’s prose is as delightful and satisfying in its culmination as watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.&” —The Christian Science Monitor &“[A] thoughtful, poetic novel.&” —The Times (London)

Copyright:

2006

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

403 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781595587411

Related ISBNs:

9781595582218

Publisher:

The New Press

Date of Addition:

12/17/24

Copyrighted By:

by Zo

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.