Skin 

 

Skin, a not yet published novel, is a story of thwarted love across the racial divide, a disrupted coming-of-age tale and a political drama in a dangerous place and time. Set in apartheid South Africa, Skin tells the story of Danny, a young White man who, following an emotionally traumatic event, is forced to confront his country’s abhorrent racism and his part in it. As the child of German-Jewish refugees who fled genocide, he must also face the uncomfortable truth that to save their own necks his family has stepped on the necks of others.

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As Danny asks himself to what extremes he should—and would—go for love and to pay for his country’s wrongs, he is propelled towards an explosive confrontation not only with those in power, but with his people, his ideals and himself. Taking place in a turbulent time and part of the world, Skin speaks to critical issues very much in the forefront today, in Canada and around the world—the painful and bitter legacies of racism and antisemitism, and the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom.

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Listen to me read an excerpt from Skin in Layers of Exile, a podcast on Writers Radio (writersradio.ca/podcasts/) by clicking on the button below. The podcast also includes two poems from my poetry collection, Refugee Song, and an interview with host, Ingrid Rose.