In this exceptional, genre-busting work of autofiction, one of South Africa’s most significant writers turns her powers of empathy and observation toward the most important, and possibly most difficult, relationship of her life.
Set in the dramatic and sparse landscape of the Free State, Blood’s Inner Rhyme explores the profoundest of generational gaps. How can a champion of equality be formed by a bigoted society? Where does love fit in the midst of ideological disagreement?
Krog finds the answer in tracing her and her mother's creative and domestic symbioses, as well as the historical touchstones – particularly the Anglo-Boer War – that defined and fractured their society.
Poignant, poetic and unfailingly compassionate, Blood's Inner Rhyme traverses history and heritage, land ownership, and romance across racial divides; a work of immense power and insight into the unlovable parts of our pasts and our selves.
This edition is not for sale in South Africa. The South African edition of this book is published by Penguin Random House South Africa.
“Mother and daughter find each other in words. Tender, intimate, and excruciatingly beautiful.” – Het Parool
“A book to satisfy your reading hunger. Buy it blindly.” – Knack
“A brilliant, impressive novel, ranging over a whole century of South African history while maintaining its personal story. A book about a difficult feeling – call it love.” – de Volkskrant
“Majestic, shimmering.” – Daily Maverick
“Exceptional, superb, cleansing.” – Johannesburg Review of Books
