Outside the Lines
Roman
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- CHF 21.00
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- CHF 21.00
Beschreibung des Verlags
Noch immer leben die Josephs im reichen Norden von Johannesburg in ihrem noblen Haus. Doch alle spüren deutlich: die guten Zeiten der Familie sind vorbei. Seit dem Tod der Mutter fällt auseinander, was sie zusammengehalten hat. Die Tochter treibt durch die Bars der Stadt, immer auf Koks. Der Vater ahnt nichts davon, er steckt allzu tief in eigenen Problemen. Die Haushälterin Flora verliebt sich in den stummen Simbabwer Runyararo. Als die Tochter gekidnappt und das Haus ausgeraubt wird, gerät alles ins Wanken.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in contemporary Johannesburg, South Africa, playwright and actor Patel's exceptional debut is told by five narrators of different races and religions, whose paths cross in unexpected ways. Cathleen Joseph, the sly, drug-addled teenage daughter of a once well-to-do family, enters the terrifying world of addiction; meanwhile, her ineffectual father, Frank, sinks deeper into depression. Flora, the Josephs' maid, is attracted to handsome, silent housepainter Runyararo, and begins to reexamine the part she has played in the lives of her employers. Runyararo, who recently arrived from Zimbabwe and whose goal is to send money back home to his family, is on the lowest societal rung and an easy target for exploitation. Farhana, who's the girlfriend of Flora's son, Zee, and has "dimples deep enough to hide secrets," must find a way to reconcile her Muslim beliefs with a future made uncertain by her being pregnant with Zee's child. One lie alters the lives of all of them, leading to a brutal, impulsive act of rage. Patel displays an exceptional ability to plumb the depths of her characters, each of whose points of view throws light on the realities of the other narrators. Rays of hope and gentle overtures to love lift this vibrant novel.
