Book Bites

Arushi Raina, Jacana, R195

When Morning Comes ★★★ This fictionalised account of the lead up to the student uprising in June 1976 is relayed through the experience of four central characters. And it is gripping. Raina has managed to bring to life one of the most painful episodes in our history in a way that neither detracts from nor glamorises the time. All the characters will stay with you. There’s Zanele, the wilful leader and daughter of a domestic worker; Meena, the curious observer and daughter of an Indian shopkeeper; Jack, the white boy from the ’burbs; and Thabo, the schoolboy-turned-tsotsi.

Each take their turn in narrating the reality of their surroundings and how their lives and that of their families and friends are affected by the apartheid government, and the chain of events that is set in motion leading to the student uprising.