South African Lit.

to Accompany Me

Nadine Gordimer

To find out about my life . The truth . In the end . That 's all ' Nadine Gordimer 's 11th novel heroine , Vera Stark , takes over the hearts of literary critiques as she goes through the course of transition taking place in post-apartheid South Africa - and in herself . to accompany me ' is yet another Nadine Gordimer literary masterpiece that explores the dramatic effect of a country to an individual 's change on a personal level

The novel opens with Vera 's infidelity to her first husband and

as the story advances and she ages , she assesses her life and gains a new perspective on her relationship with her second husband , Bennett Meanwhile , she tries to understand her daughter 's case on being a lesbian and why her husband pretends not to notice . Here , we see her struggle with her private feelings while engaged in civic issues where she had difficulty dealing with relationships for which there was no preexisting formula of hostility or friendship , suspicion or trust Note that the novel takes place in post-apartheid South Africa - there 's been a radical change in social boundaries therefore , making it difficult to contend black interests . As Gordimer says , When a railway line is abandoned , the tracks aren 't taken up the railway referring to prejudiced white South Africans . Put in simpler terms , changing the law is one thing but changing the people 's attitude is another

Being a wife and a mother , a political activist and...