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399 pages, Trade paperback
First published September 1, 2008
'That's not the place.' Emmanuel pictured the crime scene at the river, the sweep of land and sky shimmering with the quintessentially African light. It was a beautiful place to die.
“Only white people talk about choice like it’s a box of chocolate that everyone gets to pick from. A Dutch police captain walks into this room and I say what to him? ‘No, thank you, Captain sir, but I do not wish to spoil my chances for a good marriage with a good man from my community, so please ma’ baas take yourself back to your wife and family. I promise not to blackmail you if you promise not to punish my family for turning you away. Thank you for asking me, Mr. Policeman. I am honored.’ Tell me, is that how it works for nonwhite women in Jo’burg, Detective?”Yes, I should have expected it and I was unthinking. I was just hoping for a good mystery novel and not have to deal with this type of cultural issue or politics that should be beneath all of us. I will undoubtedly read more novels that deal with racism, but hope the ones I choose will be historical fiction (emphasis on historical). For the mystery, this is definitely 4 stars. For subject matter, I cannot find more than 3 stars. I'll color in only 3, but your tolerance may help you to the higher one.
…one outcome of racism is that a mother may think things are just fine because she can provide her children with a good life and education, while across the tracks other people’s children have no access to either. It’s a myth, Walker reminds us, that the two worlds of these children can be kept separate for very long. The children who have little or nothing will always be wanting what the other children have. The children of privilege will always be trying to protect what’s theirs and to justify that inequality.