Spotlight

The Woman Next Door, Yewande Omotoso (2016)

Hortensia, a successful Black designer, and Marion, a White retired architect, are nextdoor neighbours in an affluent Cape Town suburb, with a long history of animosity. Neither ever gives up an opportunity to get one over on the other, be it on the street or in neighbourhood council meetings. But when they are forced to team up in the aftermath of a freak accident, they try to bury the hatchet and build something of a relationship. But is it too late to teach old dogs new tricks?

This is a wonderful book that deftly demonstrates the ways South Africa’s shameful racist history continues to haunt it, without slipping into easy stereotypes. Both of the women are fully formed and complex characters, and both equally contribute to their difficult relationship. (The way Omotoso manages to make Marion remotely sympathetic while still showing her justifying some deeply racist attitudes was particularly impressive.) That said, I do wish the two protagonists weren’t quite as unlikable as they are — it would have been nice, for example, for either of them to have at least one healthy relationship with someone, rather than them both be completely isolated. But overall, it really hit the mark for me.

Description and review

Read this if you’re interested in:

• Mature Protagonists
• Aging
• Social Change
• Race Relations
• South African History
• Curmudgeons

My Rating: Premise 10, Atmosphere 10, Main Character(s) 8, Plot 8, Intrigue 8, Relationships 8, Success 10, Writing 10, Enjoyment 8, Lasting Impact 10: TOTAL 90

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