Review: On some bizarre level, I found this book fascinating and hilarious!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2013
I was very intrigued about the book based on other reviewers.  Also, as an Indian from East Africa, stories by and about Africans of all colors always interest me.  Tanin is an Indian, South African woman.  Tarago Jakobus is an Afrikaner, a white South African descended from the old Dutch settlers.  Tarago has his eye on Tanin but instead of the usual hero - physically attractive with mainly admirable qualities, Tarago Jakobus is a downright racist, almost clownish character.  In fact, in the first book, I kept interpreting his character almost as a caricature, a ridiculous, irreverent, idiot who should not be taken seriously by anyone let alone a woman.  BUT, he has power and money and he uses it to literally destroy her life and hold her prisoner in his house.  Some of the other reviewers felt that Tanin was passive.  I disagree.  She had limited options except to go along with Tarago's bargain.  She made a deal with a racist devil.  It's hard for Americans today to read this blatant type of racism and not be repulsed by it.  But, in South Africa, mutual racism exists and the author illustrates this very clearly in both of the books.  Apartheid might have formally ended, but entrenched racism, fear, ethnic isolation, and violent, often racially motivated crime, continue to this day and have gotten steadily worse in the past twenty years.  Unfortunately, there isn't another Mandela at the helm of South Africa.In the end, the book is about whether or not the two leads can learn to trust one another, accept each other, develop mutual respect, dignity, and whether or not they can find love.