Remittance ManBertie King, a young South African, makes the terrible discovery - the rest of his family considers him to be too dark-skinned to continue living with them. The National Party, with its policy of strict racial segregation, has recently taken power and the family feels his presence amongst them is a threat to the continuation of their privileged status and lifestyle. He leaves home and finds himself plunged into a new and strange environment, where his eyes are opened to a struggle he never knew existed. Then his grandmother dies and Bertie is faced with a life-altering choice and its repercussions that reverberate through years and generations. Remittance Man is a gripping novel that could only have come from South Africa. It is one man's story, but it is also universal, echoing the stories of the thousands of families who were forced to make impossible choices because of the differing color of their skins. |
Common terms and phrases
African Afrikaans apartheid asked Bertie Auntie Hester Auntie Joy Ayob Bella Bertie looked Bertie saw Bertie's Bester Beyers biretta Bram Fischer Brother Cyprian Brother Joseph Cape Town Casspirs child colour Compline dark door everything eyes face Father Huddleston Father Noel feel Freedom Charter fynbos girl going hair hand happened Hazel heard inside Johannesburg kind King knew Lannie laughed Lesotho light listened live Massah Mavis Mecklenburgh Square Meebos Mita Mita's Molly Mosset mother never night opened Ouma paused perhaps Priory Riaan Rosettenville seemed shouting silence sitting smiled someone sometimes Sophiatown sorry sound South Africa spoke stared started stood stop strange suddenly sure talk tell things thought toilet told took tried Umkhonto we Sizwe Uncle Fred understand voice waiting walked watched woman worry Xhosa