The Year the Gypsies Came - Hardcover

Glass, Linzi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805079998 ISBN 13: 9780805079999

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2006

Synopsis

Set in apartheid South Africa, this powerful and lyrically written novel is Linzi Glass's debut.

As twelve-year-old Emily Iris explains it, her mother and father have always been eager to take in travelers and vagabonds, relying on the presence of outsiders to ease the tension between them. Emily has her gentle older sister, Sarah, and Buza, the old Zulu nightwatchman, for company and comfort. But her parents' continuing discontent leads them to welcome some peculiar strangers.

One spring, a family of wanderers--a wildlife photographer, his wife, and two boys--comes to stay, and their strange, compelling, and dangerous presence will leave the Iris family infinitely changed.

About this title

About the Author:

Linzi Glass was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to the United States as a young adult. She lives in California.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 9 Up This story of a fateful year in a girl's life takes place in 1960s apartheid South Africa. In order to divert attention away from their failing marriage, Emily's emotionally distant parents invite a family to stay in a camper in their yard. Emily befriends the younger son, Streak, while the older son, Otis, who is clearly brain damaged, becomes almost a devoted shadow to her gentle and loving older sister, Sarah. It soon becomes clear that the boys' father beats them regularly, and that one of his beatings most likely led to Otis's condition. Emily increasingly looks to Buza, the night watchman, for love and reassurance, and he shares folktales and traditional Zulu wisdom with her. The relationship between Otis and Sarah becomes more and more tense, and Otis rapes her. Through tragedy, the girls' parents finally come to a truce. Emily's relationships with the people close to her ring true, and her friendship with Streak has its touching moments. However, the dialogue is uneven. Streak's semi-educated speech, for instance, sounds more American than South African. While the story has emotional power and shows something of the class and race relationships of the time, it lacks a deep grounding in the social context, such as that shown in Beverley Naidoo's collection Out of Bounds (HarperCollins, 2003). Instead, it focuses primarily on Emily and her tragic family circumstances. Suggest this one to readers who are always looking for a sad book. Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
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About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0805079998
• ISBN 13: 9780805079999
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272