Kirkus Reviews QR Code
DRAWN IN COLOR by Noni Jabavu

DRAWN IN COLOR

By

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

This book richly deserves the high praise it has received in England where it was first published. The author, who is married to a British film director, tells of a voyage home to South Africa for the funeral of her brother who had been murdered by a gangster in Jo'burg, and of her vain attempts to save the marriage of her sister to a man in Uganda. Although concerned with two family tragedies, the story is neither sad nor morbid. A wealth of detail about African life and custom and graphic descriptions of the country itself keep the reader engrossed whenever the principal actors leave the scene temporarily. It is strongly flavored with the Xhosa language, which translates most nearly into poetic Elizabethan English. The author spares neither herself nor her people in dealing with racial issues, for prejudice exists on all sides, even between lighter and darker members of the same tribe. The reader will surely share in a great human experience and at the same time gain a greater understanding of emerging autonomous nations.