Staying Small

In the harsh semi-desert called the Karoo, large hairy spiders run swiftly over the sun-baked ground, seeking out shady spots. They rush towards anyone walking close to them in what appears to be a terrifying attack, but they are only chasing the shadows people cast on the ground. They are called shadechasers.

In 1965, Sylvia is twelve years old and living with her family in the Karoo town of Mooiboom. The town is on the fertile banks of a river, and, despite the heat and dust, it is something of an oasis.

On the surface, life in Mooiboom appears normal and wholesome. There is a thriving sheep farming community, a good school, and a university has been opened in the town, bringing with it an influx of academic staff and students. But for many inhabitants of Mooiboom, life is far from normal. At school, Sylvia and her friend Lyall suffer a the hands of teachers and bullies. Jim, the only undertaker in the district, has been living with his own terrible secret for over ten years.

The Bushmen, the first human inhabitants of the Karoo, said that "a story is like the wind – it comes from a far-off quarter…". This story blows into Mooiboom with a young on a motorbike. He brings with him an unhealthy obsession that becomes a catalyst for the extraordinary events that follow, some of which, like the plants of the Karoo, turn out to have very deep roots. The ever-vigilant shadechasers are never far away and play an unnerving role as the story unfolds…