The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
Born in Iran to English parents, Doris Lessing grew up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where her father, lured by stories of fortunes made in farming, moved to establish a farm, which, however, did not prosper. Life on a poor farm in Rhodesia provides the setting for The Grass is Singing, Lessing's first novel, published in 1950. It tells the story of Dick and Mary Turner. Dick is an energetic farmer, idealistic in some ways, but also inefficient and impulsive, and his farm goes from one bad year to the next, yielding barely enough for him and Mary to live in poverty, and certainly not enough to pay of his debts and start a family, which he very much wants. Mary is optimistic at first, but naive and ineffective at farm work. The isolation of the farm drives her, in time, to a state of apathetic idleness.
Farming at this period was conducted by white farmers who exploited the native populations, and race relations--the attitudes and beliefs of the white supremacist farmers--figure importantly throughout the book. The first chapter begins with a newspaper report that Mary Turner was found murdered by the (native) houseboy, who was presumably looking for valuables. The houseboy is arrested, and the police and neighboring farmers consider the case settled. But there are nevertheless some troubling questions about the affair, although the police and neighbors have no interest in pursuing them. The remaining chapters of the novel, starting with Mary's early life and upbringing, fill in the full story.
The Grass is Singing is not exactly a cheerful story, but it is a very good book. I recommend it highly.
Farming at this period was conducted by white farmers who exploited the native populations, and race relations--the attitudes and beliefs of the white supremacist farmers--figure importantly throughout the book. The first chapter begins with a newspaper report that Mary Turner was found murdered by the (native) houseboy, who was presumably looking for valuables. The houseboy is arrested, and the police and neighboring farmers consider the case settled. But there are nevertheless some troubling questions about the affair, although the police and neighbors have no interest in pursuing them. The remaining chapters of the novel, starting with Mary's early life and upbringing, fill in the full story.
The Grass is Singing is not exactly a cheerful story, but it is a very good book. I recommend it highly.