UNDER AN AFRICAN SKY

In Catrakilis’ novel, two mothers from different backgrounds navigate personal struggles during a time of political unrest in South Africa.

It’s 1989 in Johannesburg, and apartheid, a policy that separates people by the color of their skin, is coming to an end. Still, the country is facing rising crime, and everyone’s on edge. Sofia Levantis, a well-off Greek Cypriot immigrant, wants nothing more than for her two children, Natalie and Dimitri, to stay in South Africa, where they can be close to their Greek roots. But Dimitri, who’s recently buried his murdered best friend, tells his mother he’s planning to leave the country (“I just want to live in a normal society”). It’s all too much for Sofia, who’s trying to plan Natalie’s upcoming wedding while also dealing with the fact that Dimitri’s new girlfriend is an Afrikaans girl, not Greek (as Sofia would prefer). To make matters worse, Father Theo is coming to officiate Natalie’s wedding, and Sofia is thrust back into painful memories of a youthful love affair she never quite got over. In a well-rounded secondary narrative, Grace Molepe, a Black South African employee of Sofia’s, dreams of her son, Isaac, getting an education. Isaac is struggling with the unfair conditions apartheid has left behind, and he longs for a revolution to make things right—even if it means falling in with a bad crowd. The novel’s use of a dual narrative works well to draw parallels between Sofia and Grace, who have an unlikely and touching friendship. Catrakilis has masterfully created a vivid atmosphere brimming with life on every page. Grace is a strong and relatable character, and while Sofia is not always a nice person, she makes for a compelling and sympathetic lead.

A vibrant, well-crafted novel with a lot of heart.