Themes

The novel looks at the effects that the policies enforced by the apartheid regime have on the black South African population. For example, Mandisa remembers when the government forced her community to relocate from their homes in Blouvlei, Cape Town, to the Guguletu township, which was created to house only black and other non-white people living in Cape Town. Mandisa discusses how the living conditions in Guguletu are poor as the place is crowded and dirty, and constant wind blows sand into people’s houses. 

Moreover, the forced move to Guguletu also affects people on a social level: communities are separated, and everyone is new to the neighborhood and still grieving the...