Scatterling’s centers around a bi-racial family and effects that Africa’s Immorality Act has on their relationships. To add to the mix, Alisa, the black mother, was brought up with a white English family. Her parents were slaves and she was orphaned at a young age and taken in by a white merchant.

Alisa never feels like she belongs anywhere and spends most of her adult life trying to find her place. Abram, her husband is a mix of Swedish and English, but has lived in South Africa most all of his life, considering Africa his home and his country.

I found this story to be very sad, but the writing about the characters and their feelings was beautiful. It was a bit difficult making the switch from the journaling to the dialogue. Interspersed throughout the book were African tales that had been told through the generations, which I found very enjoyable. After a somewhat rocky start, I came to enjoy this novel, in spite of its melancholy tone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for allowing me to read an advance copy. I’m happy to give my honest review. ( )

"...some stories start in the middle because no one wants to hear the beginning. They can be told quickly because no one wants to know the details. Sometimes all that matters is the conclusion."

Thanks to @bibliolifestyle for the gifted copy. Scatterlings by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe was a nice surprise. Manenzhe's writing style is poetic and magical. Her ability to weave a beautiful story filled with folklore and ancestral wisdom kept me captivated until the end. Manenzhe introduced characters with unique voices and perspectives. Although the novel was short, the story was full of deep themes of identity, nationalism, depression, suicidal ideations, trans-racial adoption, colonization and slavery, anti-Blackness, apartheid and miscegenation.

The history of Capetown, South Africa is a prominent part of the story and really made me think about the ways that Black African peoples were stripped of their identities and met with racism and anti-Blackness even when they return home to reconnect. Manenzhe shows the ways that trans-racial adoptions don't automatically bring acceptance to Black adoptees. She shows how these same adoptees are left to navigate their identity and microagressions with no support from their adoptive parents because they are ambivalent of their own privilege and participation in colonization.

I appreciated how she highlighted the depression and suicidal ideations that Alisa felt having to navigate white spaces and feeling disconnected from her African roots, despite having ancestral giftings. Manenzhe's story is a reminder of the power of storytelling in keeping cultures alive and staying connected to original homelands.

The storytelling reminded me of When We Were Birds which I loved. If you enjoy literary and historical fiction interspersed with ancestral wisdom and folklore then consider giving this one a try. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author because this was a stunning debut. ( )

Scatterings
By Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe

This is the story of Alisa, Jamaican born daughter of slaves adopted by English parents, who always felt displaced, twice removed from her ancestral home. On a search for her lost identity in Africa, she marries Abram, a South African farmer, and kindred soul. Together they have two multiracial daughters and a mostly good life. That is, until a further scattering and abandoning of souls sets off her daughter's quest. The Immorality Act of 1927 sends Alisa to a dark place that envelops her. She leaves this world and brings her youngest daughter Emilia with her. They are forever lost into the flames of her dispair. Alisa's surviving daughter Dido lovingly arranges a spiritual ceremony for the souls of her mother and sister. Then she painfully leaves them alone in the ash under the willow tree she has strategically planted for them. A spirit guide directs the departed and lost souls to follow as Dido and her father Abram are forced to abandon their farm. They seek ancestors to the North. The stories in Alisa's journal, and help from Abram and Dido's family memories guides the search, soon to be Dido's alone, for a kindred culture. Your heart will be torn to pieces as Dido tenaciously and heroically breaks through every barrier to guide the collective souls of her family towards the voices of the long lost but familiar dust, ash, and churning winds of her ancestral home. There is a kind of magic in Manenzhe's literary language, and the conclusion will connect you to a deep, raw place in your soul. Scatterlings is a beautifully crafted experience that will open up your spirit. Thank you to Harper via for the ARC through NetGalley. Publish date is 12/13/2022 ( )

Scatterings
By Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe

This is the story of Alisa, Jamaican born daughter of slaves adopted by English parents, who always felt displaced, twice removed from her ancestral home. On a search for her lost identity in Africa, she marries Abram, a South African farmer, and kindred soul. Together they have two multiracial daughters and a mostly good life. That is, until a further scattering and abandoning of souls sets off her daughter's quest. The Immorality Act of 1927 sends Alisa to a dark place that envelops her. She leaves this world and brings her youngest daughter Emilia with her. They are forever lost into the flames of her dispair. Alisa's surviving daughter Dido lovingly arranges a spiritual ceremony for the souls of her mother and sister. Then she painfully leaves them alone in the ash under the willow tree she has strategically planted for them. A spirit guide directs the departed and lost souls to follow as Dido and her father Abram are forced to abandon their farm. They seek ancestors to the North. The stories in Alisa's journal, and help from Abram and Dido's family memories guides the search, soon to be Dido's alone, for a kindred culture. Your heart will be torn to pieces as Dido tenaciously and heroically breaks through every barrier to guide the collective souls of her family towards the voices of the long lost but familiar dust, ash, and churning winds of her ancestral home. There is a kind of magic in Manenzhe's literary language, and the conclusion will connect you to a deep, raw place in your soul. Scatterlings is a beautifully crafted experience that will open up your spirit. Thank you to Harper via for the ARC through NetGalley. Publish date is 12/13/2022 ( )

SCATTERLINGS by Resoketwe Manenzhe
I SO wanted to like this book. The premise of the story, a racially blended family caught in the prejudice and cruelty of the Immorality Act in South Africa, is fascinating. Abram, a White, is condemned by the beloved children born to him and his Native (Black) wife, Alisa. What to do? What to do? If he stays, he will have his property confiscated, and his children taken away. If he goes, he leaves behind the work of generations on his estate and he himself and his family will become stateless. His wife makes a terrible choice and that is where the tale begins.
Unfortunately, the writing style made me constantly feel as though I had missed a paragraph, or page, or even chapter, of the plot. I was constantly trying to put inferences and comments together to make sense of the story. It was very frustrating to try to follow the story line when I felt I was missing vital information.
I quite enjoyed the “tales” of the Native people imbedded in the story. The descriptions of the land and people were delightful, making the reader a part of Africa. All in all, worth my time, but very frustrating. I would not recommend this title to my book group.
3 of 5 stars ( )