Review: Die Laksman se Dogter by Gerda Taljaard

I should preface this by saying that I have not read Afrikaans literature since High School, which is both shocking and telling. Afrikaans literature does not have the best audience in English South African readers, with preconceived ideas of diving into an elusive culture with a tendency for racism, high drama and heartache, but I want to participate in the movement to change this. We need to embrace local literature, in its entirety. For me, this meant foraging into the unfamiliar world of Afrikaans fiction, which was refreshing and immensely rewarding.

Rosaria is emerged in a state of grief. Having recently lost her daughter (a popular singer and poet with an unfortunate taste for heroin) and with a failed marriage and fractured career behind her, she is haunted by dreams of her past. The realisation that her daughter was slowly disappearing and evolving into a stranger long before her death rattles Rosaria, filling her with confused guilt. As she tries to make sense of her daughter’s decisions, as well as her own past, Rosaria makes discoveries that change not only how she sees herself, but her history and identity.

The imagery in Die Laksman se Dogter is unnervingly beautiful; re-read then re-read aloud to your partner stuff. It blossoms in the mind like a glorious fireworks display, leaving a brilliant imprint visible when you close your eyes. To call Gerda Taljaard’s style ‘poetic’ is insufficient in expressing her talent. The word is nothing but a two-dimensional scribble, while Taljaard’s story is a living entity, profound and wise. Taljaard provides us with a philosophical and unconventional view of motherhood, taboo choices, and regret. Rosaria is literally haunted by what was and what could have been, and is faced with the immense burden of history while deciding how to write her future.

Part of me desperately wants this to be translated and reach a wider audience, yet there is a voice in my head which mourns what this will do to Taljaard’s prose, and which asks that perhaps this is the key to getting English people to reading the Afrikaans language – a beautiful, unforgettable story. I discovered so much beauty in this novel, from its story, but more importantly, the writing itself. A new view of a language was revealed, and that, friends, is an amazing sentence to be able to type. My eyes have been opened. Do yourself and your culture a favour and read this book, whatever your language.

Die Laksman se Dogter by Gerda Taljaard is published by Penguin Random House South Africa.