A compelling and memorable novel

Rich and complex

In the hands of Mr Brink, one of South Africa’s most famous novelists, the land breathes, it feels alive

Philida is a very powerful novel

A moving story of one woman’s struggle against hierarchies of race and gender that seek her absolute subjugation, Philida vividly dramatises the courage required to lay claim to the protections of the law, to speak out for ones rights even in the moment in which the law is on the wrong side of history

Brink tells this grand-guignol tale in harrowing style

A poignant tale of a slave woman's quest for liberation set in 19th century Cape Town

Mixing brutal historical fact with legend, the novel paints a fine picture of a disintegrating society

Philida is a unique, illuminating and original book…utterly engaging

Brink writes beautiful prose, peppered with evocative descriptions of historic and often tragic Cape life

Brink writes beautiful prose peppered with evocative descriptions of historic and often tragic Cape life

Brink's act of literary ventriloquism in Philida - his summoning of the voice of an illiterate slave-girl from the 1830s, in all its demotic sophistication and expressiveness - is undeniably astounding

An unforgettable story of one woman’s determination to survive and be free

The light and shade that Brink has skillfully introduced into his augmented family history make for a compelling and memorable novel

Powerful

[A] rich and unforgettable story