The Other Side Of Silence - Softcover

Brink, André

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156029642 ISBN 13: 9780156029643

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2004

Synopsis

With years of abuse behind her and a bleak future ahead, a young German woman dreams of her country's colony in South-West Africa. When she learns of the women being transported to the colony to attend to the needs of male settlers, Hanna X takes the leap.
In Africa she is confronted with the harsh realities of colonial life. For resisting the advances of a German officer, she is banished to Frauenstein, a phantasmagoric outpost that is at once a "prison, nunnery, brothel, and shithouse." When the drunken excesses of visiting soldiers threaten the young girl who has become her only companion, Hanna revolts.
Mounting a ragtag army of women and native victims of brutality, she sets out on an epic journey to take on the German Reich. Combining the history of colonialism with the myths of Africa, this is an exquisitely written tale of suffering, violence, revenge, and, simply, love.

About this title

Book Description:

Published in hardcover by Harcourt, 2003. 0-15-100770-5

From the Back Cover:

"Brink blends history with invention and African myth . . . This bloody fable, rooted in bloody reality, is one of Brink's most powerful works."-Los Angeles Times Book Review

Hanna X is a young German woman who wants to escape her tortured childhood by moving to her country's colony in South-West Africa. Upon arriving, however, she is confronted with the harsh realities of colonial life. For resisting the advances of a German officer, she is banished to Frauenstein, a phantasmagoric outpost that is at once a prison, nunnery, and brothel. When the drunken excesses of visiting soldiers threaten the young girl who has become her only companion, Hanna revolts.
Mounting a ragtag army of women and native victims of colonial brutality, she sets out on an epic journey to take on the German Reich. Combining the history of colonialism with the myths of Africa, this is an exquisitely written tale of suffering, violence, revenge, and love.

André Brink has won South Africa's major literary prize, the CAN, three times and has twice been short-listed for the Booker Prize. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0156029642
• ISBN 13: 9780156029643
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 311