The Syringa Tree

This book was a very rich history of South Africa during the apartheid years, as perceived by a young girl of English origin. The English in South Africa were generally more tolerant in terms of racial relations (at least, as portrayed by this author). The father of the narrator is a doctor and the mother is nuts so she spends a lot of time in her room. The girl is basically raised by her Xhosa nanny, who gives birth to a daughter who is kept secretly in the household because otherwise she will be sent to live in the townships. There are lots of twists and turns in this story, which explores the relationship between this English family, the Afrikaaners who live nearby (who are not portrayed sympathetically but who hold a certain fascination for the daughter), the grandparents, who live out in the country, and the English family's Xhosa household help, who are also engaged in some underground freedom fighting. The end of the book is absolutely wrenching and heart breaking. Like Coconut, it took me a while to get into this story, but once I did I was hooked.