This story is set against the turbulent backdrop of Grahamstown South Africa. It spans from Germany's Kristallnacht, when Gershon Cohen's father dies in his arms through to 1990's South Africa when his grandson, Reuben is battling his demons. Their is much brutal reality of those years of apartheid in South Africa and it was with some relief, that their was respite from the many traumas experienced by the characters, at the conclusion of this book.
Despite the content, this was an easy read and gave a different perspective of life in South Africa i.e. that of a German Jewish refugee and his standing and struggle for acceptance in a racially segregated society. ( )