A review by kez91
South of Forgiveness, by Thordis Elva, Tom Stranger

4.0

4.5* I don't really know how to review this one. I think it's an important memoir and even though it covers some dark topics, it doesn't get overwhelmingly dark. Thordis and Tom's journey of reconciliation and forgiveness is admirable and something I think many people would struggle with. I found it fascinating how far Thordis had come in the years since the rape in terms of mental health, perspective, and her desire to find forgiveness. I think Tom still had a way to go in forgiving himself, and although his voice made up less of the memoir, it was hard to read at times as he struggled with guilt and self loathing. I didn't think South of Forgiveness was written especially well, and I didn't like that as a memoir it was written in present tense as that made it a bit melodramatic for me, but overall I really enjoyed it (as much as someone can enjoy a book discussing rape, and rape culture, and apartheid etc) and found it a very powerful story.