Pinpricks of light in the darkness
erless, but she is empowered through her own view and perception of the world around her, her ability to connect with a sense of purpose and belonging, despite the incredible injustice and cruelty she perceives and goes through. Mai’s character is there to give hope as well as tell truth.”
Beautiful flying creatures, as the title suggests, are a recurring thread in the novel. They are often shot through with light and colour, and symbolise the human thirst for freedom and love. Tellingly, the wings disappear in two sections of the book: during the sojourn of Mai’s family in Libya, Rashid’s homeland, and when they live on the Caribbean island of Joulou. Rashid systematically removes everything green and living from their Joulou garden; the insects and birds depart, leaving a dustbowl in their wake.
Gibson allows ideology to speak through pictures, rather than through moralistic abstraction. For her, the book emulates “the light of glowflies that write stories in circles in the air that, if not written down, may be lost forever. Mai is both storyteller and glowfly.” Her comment implies the extreme vulnerability of the survivors and victims, as well as the role of narrative art in breaking the silence around abuse. The book is not without faults. is intensely repetitive, and
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by sometimes long-winded. It opens with a rich account of Mai’s untroubled childhood, which is an important and charming baseline, but simply goes on too long. The moment Rashid appears the story takes wing, but it takes about 60 pages to get there.
The dialogue can also be repetitive, particularly in some of the more crucial and harrowing scenes. This is unfortunate, because such narrative power would be better served by greater economy. Paradoxically, in the very harshest sequence, Mai’s reactions are described in a sober way that amplifies their effect.
Glowfly shows the ability of children to survive and adapt to even the most troubled circumstances. But it’s a tragic fact that many women and children in South Africa, and elsewhere, fail to do so. —