From the author of the acclaimed memoir Maggie &Me comes a stunning debut novel about the legacies of abuse, redemption, and the strength of the human spirit, set in South Africa over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
South Africa, 1901: At the height of the Second Boer War, Sarah van der Watt and her son are taken from their farm by force to Bloemfontein Concentration Camp where, the English promise, they will be safe.
Johannesburg, 2010: Sixteen-year-old outsider Willem just wants to be left alone with his books and his dog. Worried he's not turning out right, his mother and her boyfriend send him to New Dawn Safari Training Camp. Here they “make men out of boys.” Guaranteed.
You Will Be Safe Here is a deeply moving novel of two connected parts. Inspired by real events, it uncovers a hidden colonial history and present-day darkness while exploring our capacity for cruelty and kindness.
Book details
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Publisher
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Original text
Yes -
Language
English -
Publication date
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Page count
344 -
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About the author
Damian Barr
Damian Barr’s writing has appeared in The Times, the Independent, the Telegraph, the Guardian, and Granta. His book Get It Together: A Guide to Surviving Your Quarterlife Crisis was published in 2005, and he has co-written two plays. He lives in Brighton, U.K.
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