Reviewed by Gary
Tandy
Reviewed by Gary Tandy
Tandy is a tender love story, a love of family. Set in a Zulu township in South Africa it describes in beautiful detail the day in the life of a girl who acts as mother to her siblings while her mother is away at work.
Tandi, the spelling of the name differs from the title to story, gets up, eats and then prepares her younger brother Sam for school. She could be any age but seems to be younger, possibly of older school age, and accepts her role as surrogate mother to the infant without question.
What might be perceived as dismal circumstances and surroundings takes on a new light throught the ever optimistic eyes of Tandi.
"My breakfast never seemed to be enough but I was used to it." Such calm acceptance of a seemingly harsh fate is a cause for marvel. Her mother works as a maid from morning to late leaving Tandi in charge with Sam and an infant. No mention is made of a father, either for financial or emotional support. Such a situation is not unique to South Africa but the absence leaves one wondering the cause such lack.
Lara maintains a steady rhythmic pace throughout the story and her choice of expressions bring the joy of Tandi shining through like the light of day. The use of traditional Zulu terms, even though translated into english, is used affectively to convey the warmth of the family in Zulu culture.
Neighbors greetings is intermingled with the sounds of ambulances and police cars as they race past the cracked windows of Tandi's home. These are familiar sounds and happenings in most every culture and surely in our cities, towns and villages.
Perhaps the key in Lara's story is Tandi's ability to see beyond the ordinary and perceive the beauty that is all around us and yet ignored for the banal. Here is a delightful gem of a story that peeks out from the debris of everyday life. It's well worth a second reading if nothing more than to learn to see such gems of beauty.
Reviewed by © Gary
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