Philida - Tapa dura

"A moving story of one woman’s struggle against hierarchies of race and gender that seek her absolute subjugation, Philida vividly dramatises the courage required to lay claim to the protections of the law, to speak out for ones rights even in the moment in which the law is on the wrong side of history" (Patrick Flannery Daily Telegraph)

"Playful...and extremely harrowing... But the light and shade that Brink has skilfully introduced into his augmented family history make for a compelling and memorable novel" (Alex Clark Guardian)

"Rich and complete... Brink’s rich and complex novel, told in the voices of the four main characters and an extrernal narrator, is much more than a horror story. The deep love of the South African countryside shines through, woven together with creation myths and earthy folk tales. Some may find the two elements sit uneasily together, but Brink’s confident writing made it work for me" (Paul Dunn The Times)

"Brink tells this grand-guignol tale in harrowing style" (Christopher Bray Daily Express)

"A poignant tale of a slave woman's quest for liberation set in 19th century Cape Town" (Glass Magazine)

Soon there must come a day when I can say for myself: This and that I shall do, this and that I shall not.

Philida is the mother of four children by Francois Brink, the son of her master. The year is 1832 and the Cape is rife with rumours about the liberation of the slaves. Philida decides to risk her whole life by lodging a complaint against Francois, who has reneged on his promise to set her free.

His father has ordered him to marry a white woman from a prominent Cape Town family, and Philida will be sold on to owners in the harsh country up north. Unwilling to accept this fate, Philida continues to test the limits of her freedom, and with the Muslim slave Labyn she sets off on a journey across the great wilderness on the banks of the Gariep River, to the far north of Cape Town. Philida is an unforgettable story of one woman’s determination to survive and be free.