The Dream House

by Craig Higginson

A farmhouse is being reproduced a dozen times, with slight variations, throughout a valley. Three small graves have been dug in the front garden, the middle one lying empty. A woman in a wheelchair sorts through boxes while her husband clambers around the old demolished buildings, wondering where the animals have gone. A young woman – called ‘the barren one’ behind her back – dreams of love, while an ageing headmaster contemplates the end of his life. At the entrance to the long dirt driveway, a car appears and pauses – pointed towards the house like a silver bullet, ticking with heat. So begins The Dream House , Craig Higginson’s riveting and unforgettable novel set in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. Written with dark wit, a stark poetic style and extraordinary tenderness, this is a story about the state of a nation and a deep meditation on memory, ageing, meaning, family, love and loss. This updated 2016 edition contains new content, with Craig Higginson exploring the background to The Dream House , his varied experiences in a farmhouse in KwaZulu-Natal and the subsequent and poignant motivations for this moving novel.

Genres: Fiction, School, South Africa, Novels

247 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Craig Higginson is an internationally acclaimed writer who lives in Johannesburg. His plays have been performed and produced at the National Theatre (London), the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Trafalgar Studios (on London’s West End), the Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh), the Stadsteater (Stockholm), Salisbury Theatre, the Citizens Theatre (Glasgow), Live Theatre (Newcastle), Next Theatre (Chicago), Theatre 503 and the Finborough Theatre (both London), the Market Theatre (Johannesburg) and several other theatres and festivals around the world.

Craig's plays include: Laughter in the Dark, Lord of the Flies, Truth in Translation (co-writer), Dream of the Dog, Ten Bush (co-writer), The Jungle Book, The Girl in the Yellow Dress, Little Foot and The Imagined Land. Novels include: The Hill, Last Summer, The Landscape Painter (UJ Main Prize winner), The Dream House (UJ Main Prize winner) and The White Room. His novels and plays have won several awards in the UK and South Africa.

Reviews

[Oumaima Elmamouny · Rating 4 out of 5]

يعتبر كريغ هيجينسون من كتّاب جنوب أفريقيا المعروفين، ويتميز أسلوبه بالغموض والتأملات حول الذاكرة والهوية

‏The Dream House" للكاتب كريغ هيجينسون. هذه الرواية تدور أحداثها في جنوب أفريقيا وتركز على شخصية امرأة تدعى باتريشيا التي تملك مزرعة في مقاطعة كوازولو ناتال ، تم بيع المزرعة ، وستنتقل باتريشيا و زوجها ريتشارد إلى ديربان، برفقة كل من بيوتي وبيكي العاملان الوحيدان المتبقيان في المزرعة ، ولكن قبل أن يرحلوا، شخص ما من الماضي يتصل ويثير الذكريات وهو معروف بإسم "لوكسمارت " رحل عن المزرعة منذ عشرين عاما ليكشف عن أحداث حدثت في المزرعة في الماضي.
تكشف الأحداث عن ذكريات مكبوتة وتسلط الضوء على تأثير الماضي على الحاضر.
في البداية تكون الأحداث بطيئة جدا ، لكن عندما تنبض الشخصيات بالحياة وتنكشف الحقائق وتبدأ الإجابات في الظهور ، تكتسب الرواية منعطفًا جديدا أكثر حيوية مما يعزز جاذبية الرواية .
هناك إشارة أيضا إلى نقطة التوتر التي تكمن وراء قضايا العرق في جنوب أفريقيا. يظهر ذلك في التفاعلات بين الشخصيات، وكيف يؤثر التمييز العرقي في تكوين هوياتهم وتطور الأحداث.

[Mish Middelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The awful truth about the way one race treats another as less than human is the air this book breathes. Within this world, Higginson is brilliant at portraying with sustained intensity the pains and passions, numbness and sparks of life of all his characters as they play out endings. Ending of the white family's life on the KwaZulu Natal farm, ending of layers of lies about affairs and rape and death, ending of black silence, lots of ending of hope and just the faintest glimmerings of new hope.

There is something mesmerising for the characters about digging deeper into the mess they are in, even to the point of exhuming the stillborn child from so long ago. I recognise this deep desire to get to the truth even if it is an ugly truth. Yet in The Dream House the truth doesn't seem to liberate anyone. In real life, people who inspire me today are those who are able to see ugly truths and still choose paths of change and growth. I hope this book inspires other readers to that choice, as the blurb on the back promises.

What disappointed me the most was after the end of the book, in the acknowledgements, where the author thanks his Zulu translator. This ended for me a dream that here is a white South African author capable of writing as fluently in Zulu as in English, even if only a few sentences here and there. What I still like about it is that he doesn't always translate the Zulu back into English in the book.

What I am left with is a sad sense of decay and loss. This pervades the book and reflects one of the moods in our land at the moment. I am glad it is not the only one.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragically told, exceptionally written. If I were to emulate any writer, it would be Craig Higginson. This book fell into my lap while vacationing in South Africa, and I could not put it down. Higginson has a way of describing the most perfunctory feelings in crystal clear prose, bringing you into contact with the characters at an unprecedented level of intimacy. Looking forward to reading his other novels.

[Nour · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, the only reason I read this book was that it's my set work for the year. This story was monotonous and the characters were flat; the entire book took place over two days and the descriptions were usually vile.

[Joss Du Trevou · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2019 matric set work I thought I would read this to help my niece Josie who is in matric. Looking forward to analyzing the book with her.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day, some time in the future, an academic will study South African post-apartheid white literature and will no doubt offer a psycho-historical explanation for why all of it is so bleak. Or maybe I'm the one who is bleak and these novels are just a Rorschach blot in which I see my own despair. Whatever it is, I found this book to follow the same formula as all the others: a black victim, an ignorant white, an unspoken secret and some messed up sexual thing. Ugh.

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an IEB network, I believe the book is perhaps out of touch with students. It can be a painful read. Reading it was no more than a chore in my eyes. Thus, I compiled detailed notes with my tutor to help others avoid the experience. Check them out: https://www.stuvia.co.za/doc/617536/t...

[Chené · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book could’ve easily been 100 pages less than what it was. i felt nothing for any of the characters, and the plot fell flat so early in the novel. i feel like i lost brain cells while reading this and now i unfortunately have to write about this in my june exam for english. i feel sorry for the dead tree that was used to print this.

[Connor Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only took me 6 months to finish this book...
As a South African I can not say I have experienced any of these events or concepts on such levels.
If it were not a school novel, I would have put the book down by page 40.

[هالورينا · Rating 3 out of 5]

رواية ذات قصة مميزة وأحداث تستوقفك لتفكر.
تنقل جانب من الواقع في جنوب أفريقيا وآمال المستقبل لصاحب الأرض والمستعمر. لا تنسى إظهار إعجابك بالمراجعة وإعادة النشر ؛ ليستمتع ويستفيد أكبر عدد ممكن. قراءة ماتعة لك قارئي العزيز:

https://www.hlorina.com/2024/01/dream...

[Melissa Pye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read which I couldn't put down. Very thought provoking with an exciting twist. Loved it.

[Martin Newlands · Rating 5 out of 5]

Higginson is genius

[Tanya Perel · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is the worst book ive ever read. i hated it. it was boring and nothing happened the entire time.

[. · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hated this

[Lisa Lazarus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place in post-Apartheid South Africa, set in the Midlands in KwaZulu Natal. Higginson's writing is poignant and often beautiful. The chapters are unusually short, and each chapter progresses the narrative through one of the key protagonists. I enjoyed Higginson's technique of advancing the story by telling it through these different characters. The story is engaging and moving - sometimes I found it too "politically correct" and a little stereotyped in its version of the racial divide between the Natal-colonial characters, the British ex-pat,the farm employees and the new black elite. The white characters are portrayed more successfully in my view than the black characters - particularly the black farm employees whose voices I battled with. The principal character - Patricia, an elderly woman, wheel chair bound was very successfully portrayed, and not that I liked her - she felt very genuine to me.

Higginson's portrayal of the landscape - bloodwood trees which I have never heard of - was very moving; as the role and significance of the dogs.

[Sky Landman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this was because it is a set-book for Grade 12 English. If it wasn't for that fact, I would have dropped this book by page 10. Boring, uneventful, and (surprisingly) full of unnecessary filler (you can literally cut out the last 34 pages of the book and it wouldn't make a difference).

[Chadirem · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book bad. Do not read. Everything about it sucks.

[Morgan Crawford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this book, from cover to cover, twice and wish I hadn't. It was a part of the Matric syllabus for English (circa 2019). That is the only reason, in my opinion, that anyone could have to read it. It's a sad story, but that's not the issue, a story can be sad and enjoyable because of the relationship the reader develops with the characters creates an environment where understanding and empathy can flourish.
It doesn't in The Dream House though, the characters are flat and unlikable, and not an unlikable that you're glad something bad happens to them. It is an unlikable where you just pity them, if you feel anything for them in the first place.
Reading the synopsis of this book it says there's a dark wit to the story. No, it is dry as dust. The book is, and I know this sounds odd, cold. It is trying so hard to be meaningful and does a bad job of attempting to connect with the reader. It's as if the book is screaming "hey look at me, I'm wok"
My copy happened to be the updated version that had the addition in the beginning in which the Author writes about his experience at a farmhouse in KZN and how that inspired him. The inspiration is cool, I just wonder why he draws out a story that really could have just been an easy.
But, yes, I read it and then I read it again while studying for finals and I passed.

Would i recommend it to anyone? No, never.

The only enjoyable thing that came out of it was the IEB school students making memes out of it.

[Kay-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could smell the damp and hear the screams, the writing was evocative. The misty landscape seemed to represent the half truth that we all live in and it's destruction emulated the collapse of Richard's minds as well as Patricia's self deception.

The characters were mostly flaws stitched together by tradition so I struggled to root for anyone but I think that was strategic on the author's part.

There were moments when the metaphors were to didactic and seemed to want to spoonfeed me the characters internal dialog. But they were few considering how much was left to the imagination.

As an aspiring writer I could see how Higginson was zoomed in on 'what does this character want' which made the tension rise but it also showed him to me, hunched over his laptop. It broke the spell of suspended disbelief.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely look out for his name again.

[Nikita Kassier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, it was dragged out and could have ended halfway through chapter 4 with Looksmart walking out the door. If it wasn't an compulsory read for my English class I probably would have put the book down somewhere in chapter 1. There could have been more mystery built up around Grace. However the tense scene between Patricia and Looksmart when he wants her to apologize was written well.
The writing itself was definitely of the more classical sort and was written so well. But the actual plot and story arc wasn't 'all that' . The resolution was too long and the relationship between Patricia and Looksmart at the end was confusing as it appeared that he wanted to hurt her fundamentally but then he's agreeing to visit her at her beach house.
It was okay as a novel, but it seemed like it could have maybe used more editing or something to help give it more.

[Jennifer Withers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly the most achingly beautiful portrait of what it is to be South African in a country where race relations underlie so many of our interactions, and the very structure of how we function as a modern day society. Although the subject of race in South African novels has been done so many times, and in so many different forms, Higginson does something different. Not in terms of the subject matter - in fact, this story is very similar to other South African stories I've read in terms of content - but the way he approaches it is truly astounding, extremely touching, and somehow, to the very tender point of the tension that underlies South Africa's race issues.
It's a slow read at the start, but as the characters come alive and answers start to appear, the plot unravels into something beautiful and insightful.
Highly recommend.

[Jayne Bauling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A farm in the KZN Midlands. Graves, secrets, tragedies. Atmospheric setting – we feel the clammy mist enveloping us, hear the drip of moisture; there is a smell of damp dog and the insides of cupboards where nothing is ever 100% dry.
And now the farm is sold to developers, and elderly Patricia and Richard will relocate to Durban, together with Beauty and Bheki, but before they go, someone from the past comes calling, stirring up memories.
We know this place and these characters. The main character Patricia is initially a seemingly unimaginative, insensitve woman, any griefs and disappointments buried deep. Looksmart, Beauty and Bheki are all more enigmatic in their holding back. In the hold of dementia, Richard is unknowable, despite what we learn of him.
A very South African tale.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novel that exposes the reader to South Africa's dark and unforgiving past. I personally felt comfortable with the IsiZulu dialogue because I am from KwaZulu-Natal (the province that the novel is set in).

I didn't need a history lesson on Apartheid to understand the subtle racism Patricia was guilty off. I did have trouble liking any of the characters. The novel dealt with a young, black boy who was taken care of and loved by his mother's white employer, and is now grown up and feels the need to address certain truths that his white guardians didn't know of or ignored.

Ironically, his truth isn't the absolute truth at all. Nevertheless, the emotions by each character are expressed extremely well. It was a thoughtful, but intense, read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Dream House" is a South African story of a sad, old white couple leaving their farm in KwaZulu-Natal in present day. The day before their departure, a black man they haven't seen in 20 years arrives to confront them. This man grew up on the farm, had a special relationship with the woman, and then he moved away abruptly. The confrontation, told from several perspectives, helps me consider relationships between black and white people during apartheid and post apartheid. Interesting.

[MooDolphin · Rating 1 out of 5]

2 days. 2 DAYS?!? hello? it was only two days. i cannot. i get the story and the political relevance but did it have to take that long to only be two days?? i’m sorry just, no. I can read things that have a deeper meaning but please try make it enjoyable. I wanted to die.

[Berni Borain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very compelling read. It explores race, class, gender, ageing, death, decay, nostalgia, betrayal, motherhood and loss.

[Leigh van Zyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly written book that tells the tragic tale of an estranged couple, the loss of a baby and the people involved in the couple's lives.

[Seamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dream House by Craig Higginson. What an utterly brilliant book! Kept wanting to put it down; kept picking it up. Raw emotion at its finest!

[Emanuela Polizzi]

Very good

[Ephraim Pillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.