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tania_kliphuis's review
3.0
This story of the Fourie family, living in the Hanover Park in Cape Town, is devastating, gritty and authentic. It's peppered with Cape Flats slang, which I really enjoyed. I don't often read books that really capture a segment of the South African population, and Rossouw does it beautifully.
The events that unravel the Fourie's family life are horribly sad. Unfortunately, this is the reality facing so many families in South Africa even today, even though What Will People Say is set in the late 80s. Rossouw touches on the District 6 removals as being the root cause of much of the violence. I do wish this had been explored in a bit more detail but also understand that it wasn't the main premise of the story.
The events that unfold made me feel uneasy. It was almost like watching a car accident unfold - you're horrified but cannot look away. Unfortunately, however, I found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying. The characters that I considered to be the main characters were almost shoved aside and I was left grasping for answers and unable to understand their arcs. In the end, I found myself wishing that Rossouw had picked a protagonist, rather than attempting to tell everyone's side of the story.
The events that unravel the Fourie's family life are horribly sad. Unfortunately, this is the reality facing so many families in South Africa even today, even though What Will People Say is set in the late 80s. Rossouw touches on the District 6 removals as being the root cause of much of the violence. I do wish this had been explored in a bit more detail but also understand that it wasn't the main premise of the story.
The events that unfold made me feel uneasy. It was almost like watching a car accident unfold - you're horrified but cannot look away. Unfortunately, however, I found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying. The characters that I considered to be the main characters were almost shoved aside and I was left grasping for answers and unable to understand their arcs. In the end, I found myself wishing that Rossouw had picked a protagonist, rather than attempting to tell everyone's side of the story.
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