First published 2000
Oscar Kahn lies dead in his bedroom for months before anyone discovers him. When neighbors finally call police, his body has crumbled to dust. A tree has sprouted through the floor where he died. Oscar was a Jewish South African architect whose wife left him after he contracted a strange illness. But Oscar's death reveals a deeper secret. He was born Omar Kahn, an Indian Muslim who passed as white during apartheid to marry across racial lines. His ethnic masquerade echoes an Arab myth about a gardener who loved a princess and was transformed into a tree as punishment. Omar's hidden identity unravels other buried truths. His wife, nephew, brother, and therapist all harbor secrets they desperately want to keep hidden. Each revelation pulls at the fabric of their lives like a loose thread on fragile cloth. The exposure of Omar's past triggers a cascade of long-buried lies spanning generations. Love and betrayal intertwine as the characters face the consequences of deception in a society where racial identity determined everything.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, african-literature, mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: ethnic-masquerade, hidden-identity, secrets
Setting: South Africa
Period: Apartheid
208 pages · Paperback · MERCURE DE FRAN
Content warnings: racism