„Sundowners”

I’ve read few novels written by Lesley Lokko, but two of them are my favourite: „Sundowners” (polish title: „Świat u stóp”) and „Saffron skies” („Szafranowe niebo”). Lesley Lokko spent her childhood in Africa and then moved to the United States and Great Britain. Those experiences are reflected in all of her novels.

It’s hard for me to decide which book is the best (of course only in my opinion), but I’ll present you „Sundowners”, because it was the first of those two I read.

The story starts in the Republic of South Africa where Rainne de Zoete lives. Her mother died when she was ten years old and few weeks later her father was missing so Rianne had to move in to her aunt, Lisette, the sister of her dad. Family de Zoete owns many mines of diamonds and other gemstones which means it’s an extremly wealthy and powerful family in South Africa. Rianne’s life changes dramatically when her aunt decides to send her niece to a prestigieus boarding school in Great Britain. Adapting to a new life far from home is really difficult for a sixteen year-old-girl. Not only standard of life has changed but also human environement – different races in one school is a phenomenon undoubtly impossible in South Africa of 80s but completly normal in UK so it’s schocking for Rianne. Her new room is smaller than her bathroom in Lisette’s house and what’s more she has to share it with three other girls. They don’t know that they’ll become friends for life.

„Sundowners” is a novel about the friendship lasting lifetime and exposed not once for difficulties. It’s a story relating 30 years of lives of four friends living across continents and having their ups and downs. The plot is both emotional and funny. Moreover, even though the author underlines in the introduction that this novel is fictional, some events and caracters described there are real. This novel touches also real social problems mainly apartheid in South Africa and the fight for tolerance and abolition of racial segregation.

I recommend ! ;)