They Got to You Too

Winner of the Sharjah Int'l Book Fair Best International Fiction Award 2022

Hans van Rooyen is a former police general raised by two women who survived the 1899 South African War. He finds himself being cared for in an old age home by the daughter of liberation struggle activists. At age 80, he carries with him the memories of crimes he committed as an officer under the apartheid government. Having eluded the public confessions at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for his time in the Border Wars, he retained his position in the democratic South Africa, serving as an institutional memory for a new generation of police recruits.

Zoe Zondi is tasked to care for the old man. Her gentle and compassionate nature prompts Hans to review his decision to go to the grave with all his secrets. Zoe has her own life story to tell and, as their unlikely bond deepens, strengthened by the isolation that COVID-19 lockdown brings, they provide a safe space for each other to say the things that are often left unsaid.

They Got To You Too is just the right fiction for our troubled time. It is an ode to the power of storytelling to gently peel away the scars of old wounds and provide some sort of relief, catharsis, and healing.