This was a story that opened my eyes to what the people in South Africa endured in 1998, 4 years after the first democratic elections in South Africa. It was a time of sadness and turmoil, but out of this there were the women in this story, who helped each other survive during a very difficult time in their lives.

South African journalist Monica Brunetti has a promising career and life is good. She lives in a gated white suburb, and takes no notice of those who "serve" her. Then one day she finds herself in a very dangerous situation and lands in a hospital, fighting for her life, and surrounded by people with very dark skin. One of those ladies is Ella Nkhoma, who is also fighting for her life, but in a very different way. Ella will open up Monica's eyes to the "real world" out there and Monica will open up her heart and both ladies will be transformed and a special friendship will last that was very special and endearing.

I at first didn't think I would get into this story, but the more I read, the more this story pulled me in and by the end I had a hard time putting the story down until I finished. The author did a very good job of making you feel the dangerous and difficult times these people endured. ( )

Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
Enter the world of modern day South Africa as seen through the eyes of two women. One is a white journalist named Monica who becomes the victim of a brutal carjacking while returning from a routine assignment. The other is a black mother named Ella struggling to raise her two kids while hiding the fact that she has AIDS. These two women never would have met if they hadn't been put in adjoining beds at the hospital Monica is taken to after her accident. Despite the front that South Africa puts on as being a "rainbow nation", blacks and whites do not mix and Monica's parents are appalled that she is in a "black" hospital. But, despite their differences, she strikes up a friendship with Ella and the other patients, a friendship that reveals to her a destiny far different than the one she had imagined for herself before the attack.






Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
The story alternates points of view, which makes it a bit hard to follow at first. The culture of South Africa is very foreign, but the author gives clear explanations and vivid descriptions that make it come to life for the reader. That is the strong point of the book--the glimpse it give you of South African life. Monica and Ella are also well-drawn characters. The plot is a bit slow at first but builds, the main conflicts centering around Monica's decisions about whether to go with what God is showing her to do or to give in to what her family and boyfriend and society expect of her.



A thoughtful read, it doesn't stand out to me except for the setting. Seemed a bit blah. ( )