Behind the Mountain

A novel by Mervyn Woodrow

This novel is set mainly behind the Zoutpansberg in the harsh Limpopo Valley. It traces the life of the young protagonist, Jody, and much of the action is seen through his eyes. He comes to grapple with the grim reality of the world around him, with cruelty, violence and loss but also with kindness and love, in his search for value and meaning.

The shifting sands of time mostly settle during World War II when men were fighting “Up North”, the National Party was not yet in power and Waterpoort was a less-than-thriving cattle farming hamlet, home to both English and Afrikaans, black and white, the religious and the superstitious.

This book casts an almost evolutionary eye over the salty, unforgiving landscape; considering the passing of time, and the paths men have carved, through a place you won’t often find in the history books. (And which seldom features in literary tracts, compared with the romanticised Karoo.)

Through this story, we get another perspective on our country’s past, and a peek into the kinds of characters that featured in small-town life of old.

R 150.00