The short stories in this collection by SA writer Henrietta Rose-Innes share a common theme: people come to a fresh understanding of their lives when they find themselves in memorable, unique physical locations, mostly in the Cape Town area.
A boy learns to reach out to others in the library in the historic City Hall; a woman gains insight into her abusive relationship while caught inside an ancient leopard trap; a glitzy hotel overshadowing a quiet suburban street helps a woman see beyond her boundaries; a man learns the nature of fear on the glass dome roof of a shopping mall.
Rose-Innes beautifully evokes the physical reality of these locations while gently – and sometimes not so gently – taking you inside the minds of her characters as they try to make sense of their lives.
Her detailed descriptions reflect a city that’s beautiful and incredibly cruel at the same time.
A book you won’t forget in a hurry.
Homing by Henriette Rose-Innes
Umuzi, R170
Rating: 3/5