Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Scatterlings

Scatterlings is historical fiction set in South Africa and is the story of the van Zijl family - Abram, of a Dutch and English background, his wife Ailsa, daughter of a Jamaican slave who was orphaned then adopted by a wealthy Englishman, and their two daughters. The story covers a lot of ground - mental illness, racism, colonialism, belonging, family secrets, and more. The 1927 Immorality Act, which essentially made interracial relationships illegal, had a real impact on the family, but I expected it to be more of a focus than it was. Instead the story has a lot of similarities to Wide Sargasso Sea. I liked the way traditional mythology and beliefs were incorporated and enjoyed the poetic and lyrical storytelling.

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tigger89's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a beautiful book about oppression, belonging, and what it means to find your home. Both Abram and Alisa are written as deeply flawed characters, Abram in his colonizer's naivete and Alisa in her all-consuming depression, but ones that ultimately evoke empathy. The inclusion of their daughter Dido's perspective provided a much-needed relief from what would likely have been too heavy and melancholy, if the only narrators had been adults. Her curious exploration of African folklore and tradition, first through Gloria and then through Josephina, brought the novel's themes home in a way neither of her parents had quite managed to accomplish.

Something that didn't entirely work for me was the character of Johannes, not so much what he represented as the reveal of his personal secret. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of what the story was about. Perhaps I misunderstood what was being implied, but it seemed like he was jealous of Alisa? It just seemed odd and a bit out of place.

Be warned: the ending of the story is an ambiguous one. You're not going to get a clear answer to the question of whether they get away or not. I was happy with the ending, but calibrate your expectations accordingly. This story is heavy on themes and emotions, but not so much on plot resolution.

Content Warnings