num_pages: 311
description: 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.
language: English
title: The Other Side Of Silence
titlecomplete: The Other Side Of Silence
genres: Namibia, South Africa, African Literature, Contemporary, Germany, Novels, Africa, Historical Fiction, Southern Africa, Fiction
ratings_count: 500
awards: awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Commonwealth Writers' Prize
category: Best Book in Africa, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Sunday Times CNA Literary Award / Barry Ronge Fiction Prize
publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks