Immagine dell'autore.

Irene Sabatini

Autore di The Boy Next Door

3 opere 188 membri 12 recensioni

Opere di Irene Sabatini

The Boy Next Door (2010) 169 copie
Peace and Conflict (2014) 10 copie
An Act of Defiance (2020) 9 copie

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Data di nascita
20th century
Sesso
female
Nazionalità
Zimbabwe
Nazione (per mappa)
Zimbabwe
Luogo di nascita
Hwange, Zimbabwe
Luogo di residenza
Switzerland
Caribbean
Italy
Colombia
USA
England, UK (mostra tutto 8)
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe
Breve biografia
I was born some forty years ago in Hwange, a coal ming town in south western Zimbabwe. I grew up in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe. Bulawayo is known for its rather sleepy, laid back nature and its graceful colonial era architecture, examples of which can be found on my website www.irenesabatini.com. I spent many hours in the fabulous Public Library, down in the basement of the children's section devouring everything from Enid Blyton to Shane by Jack Schaefer, one of my favourite books. I left quiet Bulawayo for,'The Sunshine City', Harare, to attend university. Harare is all hustle and bustle, with some fantastic futuristic buildings. After university I went to Colombia where I stayed for four years working as teacher and studying for my masters. One of my biggest thrills in Colombia was catching sight of the legendary Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Cartegena. "Here, in front of me, is a real, living writer," I remember thinking. "They exist!" Soon after that, I started writing in a red notebook in this former monastery outside Bogota. The writing seemed to just spiral out of me and if I had to pick a time when I really started this journey it would be that wonderful quiet morning on a verandah so many years ago in the Colombian countryside.

Utenti

Discussioni

"The Boy Next Door" by Irene Sabatini in Orange January/July (Luglio 2011)

Recensioni

Publisher’s synopsis.
Harare 2000. Gabrielle is a newly-qualified lawyer fighting for justice for a young girl. Ben is an urbane and charismatic junior diplomat attached to Harare with the American embassy. With high-level pressure on Gabrielle to drop the case, and the president’s youth wing terrorising his political opponents as he tightens his grip on power, they begin a tentative love affair. But when they fall victim to a shocking attack, their love splinters across continents and their stories diverge, forcing Gabrielle on a painful journey towards self-realisation.

This powerful story begins in 2000, during the lead-up to the referendum which could give Robert Mugabe even more power than he already has. The country is in a state of political turmoil and anyone opposing ‘the Old Man’ faces violent retribution, much of it carried out by young people loyal to the existing regime. Gabrielle’s father is a successful man, a keen supporter of Mugabe but, she is an activist, an idealistic young lawyer who works for an aid centre, so wants little contact with him. As the story opens, she is involved in preparations for the private prosecution of the man who has been accused of raping fourteen-year-old Danika. As he is a powerful member of the government, the State has denied he has a case to answer but Danika’s family is determined to seek justice. In the midst of this, whilst in the early stages of her relationship with Ben, Gabrielle is abducted and taken to a torture camp. When she finally escapes, she is traumatised by what has happened to her, Ben has been deported and it is her ex-boyfriend, Giorgio who looks after her and tries to help her overcome the trauma. In her dissociated state she allows this to happen, although thoughts of Ben and their nascent love-affair are never from her thoughts.
Through the swift changes in the timeline which are a feature of the first half of the novel, the events which led to Gabrielle’s abduction, both personal and political, are gradually revealed. Although initially I found this rather disconcerting, as the story unfolded, I not only adjusted to it but in fact felt appreciative that this allowed some moments of respite from the descriptions of the horrors she was being exposed to. The remainder of the story, written in relatively short chapters and covering the next eight years, then follows a ‘real-time’ progression, exploring not only how Gabrielle deals with her trauma, but also how her reactions and decision-making affect her relationships with the other significant people in her life. A recurring question, which is central to her long struggle to come to terms with what she has experienced, is ‘how can you imagine the future when your story traps you in the past?’ I was impressed with the ways in which the author explored the psychological vulnerability of victims, the long-term mental health implications which can arise following violent traumatic experiences and the consequent pressure which this puts on all other relationships.
Interwoven into the story are reflections on what was happening in Zimbabwe during the first eight years of the twenty-first century. Although I already knew a lot about the history of the country, both pre and post the 2000 referendum, I found it very disturbing to be reminded of the extent of the corruption, the absence of democracy, the prevalence of every-day casual violence, the intimidation, the torture and killings of hundreds of thousands of people, the hyper-inflation, the expelling of aid organisations etc. I really admired the way in which the author, whilst never shying away from showing the extent of the violence and upheaval, showed that, against all the odds, her characters were trying to live their lives in the best way they possibly could, determined to hold onto the hope of a better future. The fact that there is a poignant and convincing love-story at the heart of her novel is, in my opinion, testament to the skill with which she combined all the elements of her story into such a credible whole. The brief ‘Afterword’, which is set in 2017 and holds the promise of better things to come, for Gabrielle and for Zimbabwe, felt a very comforting end to this complex story.
Although there were moments when I was reading this deeply-disturbing story when I almost couldn’t bear to feel exposed to any more descriptions of trauma, violence and terror, the compelling nature of Irene Sabatini’s writing meant that I very quickly felt emotionally engaged with the characters, especially Gabrielle. This meant that I soon found it almost impossible to put down, even during the first half of the story when some of the descriptions of violence were particularly graphic and the escalating tension felt almost unbearable. It was almost as if by stopping before I knew what the future held for them, I’d be abandoning them – the fear and anxiety being generated felt so powerfully visceral.
When I finished reading, I felt as though I’d been put through an emotional-wringer and, as I write this review, the characters and all the thought-provoking themes which run through the story, remain vivid in my mind. This gives some indication of just how brilliant Irene Sabatini’s eloquent prose and writing-style is. I haven’t read either of her previous novels (The Boy Next Door and Peace and Conflict) but the wonderful quality of her story-telling in this novel has left me determined to remedy that omission as soon as possible!
With my thanks to the publisher and NB for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
linda.a. | Sep 8, 2020 |
I ended up quite enjoying this, even though it does have a major flaw, which is that it takes way too long to get to the hook. For the first 40% of the novel, I was like, "Well, I guess I'm getting a feel for what it was like to live in 1980s Zimbabwe, but this isn't really much of a story." Then there was a major twist and things got so much more interesting.

The main character is Lindiwe, a young Coloured woman in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The book follows her for about 15 years of her life, starting from when she's a 14yo girl intrigued by the older white boy next door (although with flashbacks to earlier times than that). The narration is rather unconventional, mostly dialogue-based, with Lindiwe not really sharing most of her inner thoughts with the reader and even failing to mention important plot developments until way later, making her something of an unreliable narrator.

The book is partly a view of what life was like and how it changed in Zimbabwe between the 1980s and late 1990s, as corruption and militarism saw it degenerate into chaos. It's also partly a book about domesticity, about a mismatched and not particularly happy couple who keep on making things work regardless. That latter part was not something I'd really expected (although in retrospect the title kind of gives it away), but I found it stimulating reading. The characters' different racial backgrounds and levels of education cause soooo many arguments and also, I feel like that would have been conflict enough without Ian also having to have an alcohol problem and a “being a flighty male who doesn't really respect his female partner's opinions” problem, because it made him rather unlikeable. There are also some other subplots and side characters with their own things going on.

In general, I liked the core story of Lindiwe trying to keep her family going in difficult circumstances, framed by all the turmoil in Zimbabwe. However, I didn't think most of the characters were particularly deep (with the exception of Lindiwe and probably her partner themselves), and it really was an issue that it took so long for an interesting story to come together. Regardless, this is still the best Zimbabwean book I have read (out of three). If you're interested in the country this is worth a read.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
Jayeless | 10 altre recensioni | Aug 7, 2020 |
Lindiwe is a shy, bookish girl who is fascinated by the white boy who lived in the house next door in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He was arrested for his stepmother's murder, but released when his conviction was over-turned. Now that he's back, she's one of the few people who will talk to him, although only when her strict parents can't see. They form a tentative relationship that persists over the years. The story begins with Robert Mugabe's presidency, and the history of Zimbabwe along with its culture are as important as the story itself.

Ian grew up in a white Rhodesian household, with racism built into his language, while Lindiwe is wary of how white people have treated her. She is the only black girl at her high school and her family is the first to move into what was once a whites only neighborhood. Over time that changes, as do Ian and Lindiwe.

This is a well-written and fascinating book. Sabatini is telling the story of two very different people and that is where her focus remains, even as Zimbabwe itself becomes a primary force in their lives. And as it follows both Ian and Lindiwe through a significant portion of their lives, Sabatini also shows how they change as they mature and as events shape them.

This is an excellent novel and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about Zimbabwe or anyone who just likes a good story with characters who are complex and sympathetic.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
RidgewayGirl | 10 altre recensioni | May 13, 2016 |
Not got that far with it but I am enjoying it. A bit disjointed so you have to out it down from time to time and remember what was in the news about Zimbabwe.
 
Segnalato
adrianburke | 10 altre recensioni | May 21, 2013 |

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Statistiche

Opere
3
Utenti
188
Popolarità
#115,783
Voto
4.0
Recensioni
12
ISBN
22
Lingue
3

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