PHILIDA

Harrowing, painful to hear, PHILIDA offers a chronicle of torture, rape, and emotional devastation in Zandvliet, a wine farm in the Cape Colony, South Africa, in 1832, just prior to manumission. Narrator Carla Mercer-Meyer offers a poignant Philida, who dares to complain to the "slave protector" that she was promised freedom by "Frans" Brink, the farm owner's son, in exchange for sexual favors. Eight years and four children later, Frans isn't keeping his promise. Mercer-Meyer delivers Philida's naïveté with wrenching honesty. Each new character has an appropriate accent and personality, and although she does little with gender differentiation, Mercer-Meyer keeps emotions under tight rein as horrific details emerge. Listed for the Man Booker Prize, this novel is based on events from the author's family history. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2013]