Ik wilde eens "iets anders" lezen, iets anders dan mijn gebruikelijke genre. En dus koos ik voor "Gedane zaken" van Kopano Matlwa (de vertaalde versie van Spilt milk). Ik had het beter niet gedaan. Matlwa mag dan een geroemd auteur zijn in Zuid-Afrika, het boek ging volledig aan mij voorbij. De eerste 10 pagina's toont Matlwa alleen maar dat ze de kunst van het eindeloos opsommen beheerst; de volgende 190 pagina's zijn een verhaal over… ja…. niets. Het raakt me niet. Het boeit me niet. En na het lezen van het boek weet ik nog steeds niet waarover het precies ging. Al een geluk dat het een dun boek was dat snel las. Ik kan er niet wild over doen.

The story gives off an air of being a very simple narrative, when it is actually highly layered. The pages turn easily and I hunger looked forward to knowing more about the characters. But even at the end I was left wanting more. Maybe it is me. I simply wanted more. So much more. Not that all should be explained. Not all mysteries need to be fully solved. But there was depth that made me want to dive, and we did not. That the story could have still ended where it did, but the journey could have been plumper, richer. The author admirably dives into such thorny issues, where feelings run deep. Her books are books that need to be read. But I still wanted more.

Great read for book clubs - great for igniting good conversations.

La primera mitad del libro me ha gustado mucho, me resulta curioso como te cuenta en cuatro pinceladas la transición de Sudáfrica tras el apartheid, y me interesa la historia de la directora del colegio y el sacerdote, al principio me moría de curiosidad por saber qué iba a pasar. Luego el libro hace algo rarísimo y todo lo que tiene que ver con los alumnos me resulta forzado e increíble, especialmente todo lo que tiene que ver con el pequeño documental que ruedan y, sobre todo, con el visionado.

I really wanted to like this :( Matlwa constructed a really compelling world, with some well-thought-out characters and a couple of key issues she was really keen to hit, however the writing missed the mark. Wordy, scattered and rushed, I agree with some of the other reviewers that perhaps something longer where she could really flesh out her ideas, would've been beneficial. For example, we get very little on the backstory of the two main characters, and what little we do get only brings about more questions on their relationship. The characters of the parents (apart from one) were constructed well but under-used, as were the other faculty members. The twists were rushed, especially that final one, and the earlier one felt sensationalist and I think provided insight into the main male character but wasn't explored or even really addressed in a satisfying way. There were chunks of really good writing, and again despite everything, I still find the general concept and the bits of world-building we got, really intriguing.

I could probably rate this one star, it felt like a first draft and I can't think of a single thing outside the concept that actually worked BUT out of respect to Matlwa, a sense of solidarity and because I know getting this published can't have been easy - I'll keep it at 2.

Not as good as Coconut, her first novel. Or perhaps too similar?

la historia en sí es el trauma de un país q no es el mío y aparece velada asiq no sé cuanto puedo llegar a sentirla o a comprenderla, todos los personajes están pensados para esa clase de historia (no es algo malo o algo bueno es simplemente eso)
la prosa sin embargo es una cosa increible e hipnótica