An Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, Sunday Times South Africa, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Big Issue and Strong Words Pick of the Year An Irish Times and The Times Summer Reading Pick Shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award Shortlisted for the London Magazine Debut Fiction Prize 2020 Longlisted for HWA Debut Crown 2020 'Beautifully written and emotionally devastating' Daily Mail A beautiful and heart-breaking story set in South Africa where two mothers - a century apart - must fight ...
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An Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, Sunday Times South Africa, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Big Issue and Strong Words Pick of the Year An Irish Times and The Times Summer Reading Pick Shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award Shortlisted for the London Magazine Debut Fiction Prize 2020 Longlisted for HWA Debut Crown 2020 'Beautifully written and emotionally devastating' Daily Mail A beautiful and heart-breaking story set in South Africa where two mothers - a century apart - must fight for their sons, unaware their fates are inextricably linked. Orange Free State, 1901. At the height of the Boer War, Sarah van der Watt and her six-year-old son Fred can only watch as the British burn their farm. The polite invaders cart them off to Bloemfontein Concentration Camp promising you will be safe here. Johannesburg, 2010. Sixteen-year-old Willem is an outsider who just wants to be left alone with his Harry Potter books and Britney, his beloved pug. Worried he's turning out soft, his Ma and her new boyfriend send him to New Dawn Safari Camp, where they 'make men out of boys.' Guaranteed. The red earth of the veldt keeps countless secrets whether beaten by the blistering sun or stretching out beneath starlit stillness. But no secret can stay buried forever.
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Add this copy of You Will Be Safe Here to cart. $4.01, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
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Add this copy of You Will Be Safe Here: Damian Barr to cart. $14.98, like new condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
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Add this copy of You Will Be Safe Here: Damian Barr to cart. $15.04, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
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Good. Ex-Library Book. Has usual library markings and stamps inside. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
I know very little about South African history, and this book opened my eyes to a lot of issues. There are two, possibly three, distinct strands to the story - the first in 1901 in the Boer War when Sarah van der Watt and her son Fred are forcibly removed from their farm by the English to a camp in Bloemfontein; then there is a back story of Rayna and her daughter Irma; and finally Irma's son Willem, a sensitive child trying to find his place in the world, who is sent to a special camp to 'make him a man'.
Throughout the book is a tale of people abusing and manipulating others who do not match their criteria - by colour, strength, sexual orientation or just by being 'different'. The description of Sarah's Boer camp is heartbreaking, and while the aim was not extermination, for many, especially the children, that was just the result through disease and neglect. Forward in time to Willem's life in camp, and things are not really much different, with the strong preying on the weak.
A fascinating, disturbing, uncomfortable and very sad book, in part based on real events, which makes us wonder how far we have really progressed. Well written, you can see and smell the settings for the events, and you certainly identify and empathise with the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
