The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini

I actually read this book right after Oscar Wao, and they were a little similar in topic (war-torn countries, dictators, snippets written in another language and colloquial references) but this one took itself a lot more seriously. Author Sabatini is from Zimbabwe where the novel is set, and it explores the nation’s identity struggle post-independence through the eyes of Lindiwe Bishop, who is witness to an event that shapes her entire life.

It’s a slow burner, which is a bad pun since the first pivotal moment is Lindiwe’s next door neighbour’s house burning down, killing a woman – teenage occupant Ian is the suspect of the arson that caused the death of his stepmother. It sets off a chain of events that tie Lindiwe to Ian, and the book charts their tumultuous relationship, and the breakdown of the country around them.

Lindiwe works hard to rise above her poor childhood to become university educated and is very aware of her colour and standing in society, while Ian, the white ‘Rhodesian’ wants to pretend the whole world is colour-blind; Lindiwe is constantly challenging him on her struggle to be recognised as equal (such as when they go camping together, and a group of white campers invite Ian to join them for drinks – and tell him he can bring his ‘girl’, or help, along – Ian does nothing to correct them) and the whole book revolves around both of them educating each other.

The period in which the book is set is hugely interesting to me; it’s a turning point in Africa where shit really started to go south. So this is watching it at the beginning, and the first signs of how awful Mugabe’s 30 year rule is going to be are showing.

There are some frustratingly slow moments, and Sabatini is a master of restraint, but sometimes I felt she held back too much with certain plotlines; I’m sure she meant to leave some aspects ambiguous but it meant that I wasn’t wholly satisfied by the end. However, a deserving winner of the Orange Award for New Writers in 2010.