Set amongst the grandeur and beauty of South Africa and political and racial upheaval of the 1950s, The Bright House is a passionate, haunting story of one woman's journey toward love and independence It is a bright house I will create in it a world no man can ever build When nineteen year old Jessie Bierman, the daughter of white South African political activists, falls in love with a coloured man Lennie Naidoo, her world of privilege and safety is exchanged for one of uncertainty, fear and a firsthand witnessing of daily racial injustice. Then Lennie leaves Jessie, to return to his wife and daughter and safety of his home town. Jessie is devastated. Her world turned upside down, Jessie must also come to terms with the shocking death of her adolescent brother, Anton. Seeking safety and stability, Jess marries Tom Thibauld, a rich white landowner, and for a short time is happy, fulfilled. Although perturbed by the Thibaulds' conservative attitude to race and politics, Jessie embraces family life on the farm, and is delighted when she finds she is pregnant. But when Jessie's baby is stillborn, she spirals into depression and madness and her marriage breaks down. She feels betrayed by her body - and her husband. With so much loss, Jessie must begin her slow recovery and confront the meaning of love and relationships in her life. At a time of political and social upheaval and racial injustice she must decide for herself how to move forward, toward acceptance and independence - and the safety of the 'bright house' she has created for herself in her mind. Imaginative, passionate and intelligent storytelling, Lyn Hughes' The Bright House traverses love and loss, suffering and freedom. Her lilting narrative is also a compelling and sweeping journey through the beauty of South Africa's landscapes - and its tortuous recent past.