The Shape of Him

Gill Schierhout

oct 2009 · Random House

Acerca de este libro electrónico

Sara Highbury, forty-eight years old, is the manageress of a boarding house in early 1900s South Africa. She lives her life in the past, haunted by a love affair with a diamond digger called Herbert.

One day a young child arrives at Sara's door. Apparently the girl is Herbert's illegitimate daughter and it seems there is no one else to look after her. Having a child to care for disrupts Sara's quiet routine. Troubled by the mystery surrounding the girl's arrival, Sara begins to excavate the past. As the truth unfolds, Sarah must re-evaluate what she holds dear and engage once more with the world around her.

With the backdrop of a rural landscape and characters that are as memorable as they are unexpected, The Shape of Him introduces a writer whose spare, exquisitely crafted prose places her deservedly in the tradition of the best of South African literary fiction.

Acerca del autor

Gill Schierhout was born in Zimbabwe in 1967. She holds a Doctorate in Public Health and has worked as an academic and consultant in London and Southern Africa. She has twice been a finalist in the HSBC/SA Pen literary award and was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African writing in 2008. She now lives in Sydney, Australia.