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Anderkant die Stilte
As klein kindjie in Bremen het Hanna X al begin droom oor wat anderkant die stilte lê, waar die wind vandaan kom en palmbome wuif in die son. Haar kans om te ontvlug uit jare van mishandeling in ’n weeshuis en as diensmeisie, kom wanneer die owerhede in Berlyn in die vroeë jare van die 20ste eeu begin om meisies te werf om in Duits Suidwes-Afrika die manlike koloniste se behoefte aan vroue te verlig. As sy dit waag om haar te verset teen die attensies van ’n Duitse offisier op die trein tussen Swakopmund en Windhoek, word sy op onmenslike wyse gestraf en beland sy in die lugubere bouwerk van Frauenstein, diep in die woestyn. Uit dié bestaan van lewende dood word sy geskok wanneer die enigste mens met wie sy enige aanraking het, die jong meisie Katja, bedreig word met verkragting. Dit is dan dat Hanna X in opstand kom en ’n byna surrealistiese leërtjie op die been bring om die volle mag en geweld van die Duitse Ryk aan te pak en daarmee haar en Katja se menswaardigheid en se vroulikheid te bevestig. Hul apokaliptiese trek deur die woestyn word ook ’n reis deur die verborge streke van die gees en ’n openbaring van die dieper betekenisse van lyding, wraak, verraad, medelye, liefde en lojaliteit.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
8 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
André Brink
116 books259 followersAndré Philippus Brink was a South African novelist. He wrote in Afrikaans and English and was until his retirement a Professor of English Literature at the University of Cape Town.
In the 1960s, he and Breyten Breytenbach were key figures in the Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends. His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His final works engaged new issues raised by life in postapartheid South Africa.
In the 1960s, he and Breyten Breytenbach were key figures in the Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends. His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His final works engaged new issues raised by life in postapartheid South Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
June 17, 2014
I think I read all of the novels Andre Brink wrote about South Africa and the tragedy of apartheid. They were all almost unbearably poignant. moving and powerful. An Instant in the Wind, A Chain of Voices, and others whose titles I have forgotten. I haven't forgotten the passion with which Brink wrote about injustice, but also about the hold that South Africa, uniquely, seems to have on the minds, hearts and souls of all the people that live there. I can't really put it into words, you'll have to read the books for yourself to see what I mean.
The Other Side of Silence is set, not in South Africa, but in German South West Africa (which eventually became Namibia) and although there is still much about the disgraceful way the indigenous people of Africa were treated by European settlers, it's central thesis is about man's inhumanity to women. The story is based on an unknown (to me) piece of history about women from Germany being shipped over to this colony as potential wives for the male settlers.
The first part of the book is harrowing in the extreme. The central character in the story does not even have a surname, being known throughout as Hanna X. In a sense, this helps to confirm her as a representative of all abused women. We are shown in a series of flashbacks how Hannah X came to travel to Africa, flashbacks which are interspersed with the horrors of what happens to her there. I thought the layer upon layer of horrors was a bit overdone, though, and I couldn't rid myself of the thought that a woman as intelligent as Hanna could have had other options, though I am not sure what these might have been. I thought the parallel between Hanna's 'campaign' and that of Jeanne d'Arc, a childhood idol of Hanna's was quite deftly handled, though it made it obvious that things would not end well.
I couldn't fault Brink's writing skill, he is a very good writer. I just think something was missing that I had much admired about the previous novels of his that I have read; passion and intimacy with his subject perhaps. I think this is because German South West Africa (or Namibia) isn't South Africa, and because Andre Brink isn't a woman. Nevertheless, I found this a worthwhile read.
The Other Side of Silence is set, not in South Africa, but in German South West Africa (which eventually became Namibia) and although there is still much about the disgraceful way the indigenous people of Africa were treated by European settlers, it's central thesis is about man's inhumanity to women. The story is based on an unknown (to me) piece of history about women from Germany being shipped over to this colony as potential wives for the male settlers.
The first part of the book is harrowing in the extreme. The central character in the story does not even have a surname, being known throughout as Hanna X. In a sense, this helps to confirm her as a representative of all abused women. We are shown in a series of flashbacks how Hannah X came to travel to Africa, flashbacks which are interspersed with the horrors of what happens to her there. I thought the layer upon layer of horrors was a bit overdone, though, and I couldn't rid myself of the thought that a woman as intelligent as Hanna could have had other options, though I am not sure what these might have been. I thought the parallel between Hanna's 'campaign' and that of Jeanne d'Arc, a childhood idol of Hanna's was quite deftly handled, though it made it obvious that things would not end well.
I couldn't fault Brink's writing skill, he is a very good writer. I just think something was missing that I had much admired about the previous novels of his that I have read; passion and intimacy with his subject perhaps. I think this is because German South West Africa (or Namibia) isn't South Africa, and because Andre Brink isn't a woman. Nevertheless, I found this a worthwhile read.
October 4, 2025
The epigraph from George Eliot had me thinking before turning to the first page.
We know Hanna's face is disfigured and her tongue has been cut out. The first part gives us the back story of how she was mentally, physically and sexually abused from childhood at a Christian orphanage, when she was sent out to work in service, and even after she arrived in Africa. Yes, there is violence in this and some readers will want to look away. One day at Frauenstein, Hanna says to herself This is her life, now. It has to be lived somehow. And perhaps it is not without consolation that she is allowed to retreat ever more deeply into herself.
Part two is when we see what is meant by the title.
This is a novel of sadness at the very least, but also of an inner strength many of us can only wonder about. Brink says in his afterword that he thought of the title twenty years before he discovered a story that fit it. This is a novel, yes, but it is also one of history. The time period is 1906, but Hanna is an adult at that time, though we don't know her exact age. There are memories and flashbacks tos her childhood of probably the early 1880s. I'd like to think what happens to Hanna is a thing of the past, but I'd be a fool to believe it never happens any more. I can only hope it is rare, close to non-existent.
I cannot give this novel less than 5 stars.
If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.As the GR description says, Hanna X had put up with years of abuse. We know that early when she is already at Frauenstein, a "home" for others like her, set in the wilderness of Southwest Africa, now known as Namibia.
We know Hanna's face is disfigured and her tongue has been cut out. The first part gives us the back story of how she was mentally, physically and sexually abused from childhood at a Christian orphanage, when she was sent out to work in service, and even after she arrived in Africa. Yes, there is violence in this and some readers will want to look away. One day at Frauenstein, Hanna says to herself This is her life, now. It has to be lived somehow. And perhaps it is not without consolation that she is allowed to retreat ever more deeply into herself.
Part two is when we see what is meant by the title.
This is a novel of sadness at the very least, but also of an inner strength many of us can only wonder about. Brink says in his afterword that he thought of the title twenty years before he discovered a story that fit it. This is a novel, yes, but it is also one of history. The time period is 1906, but Hanna is an adult at that time, though we don't know her exact age. There are memories and flashbacks tos her childhood of probably the early 1880s. I'd like to think what happens to Hanna is a thing of the past, but I'd be a fool to believe it never happens any more. I can only hope it is rare, close to non-existent.
I cannot give this novel less than 5 stars.
April 15, 2010
How many horrific things can happen to one woman? Really?
November 6, 2018
Тази книга на Андре Бринк, попаднала ми на антикварния пазар в Роузбанк, може би не отговаряше на общите представи за ваканционния жанр четиво за море. Освен за ... ваканция по пустите плажове на южния бряг на Африка. Защото е по тема за Африка, за колониализма, и то там, за където се пише по-рядко, а извращенията му са били повече – Германска Югозападна Африка, днес - Намибия. Действието се развива в краткия период между геноцида срещу местните племена, извършен под командването на генерал Лотар фон Трота, искрено вярвал в изтреблението на „диваците“ в името на прогреса и благоденствието на ефимерните масови заселници, и Първата световна война, която слага край на немското управление още с първите изстрели. Но страдалците в романа не са коренните жители. По-точно – не са само те. Страдалците са жените. Бели жени, тръгнали отчаяно да търсят късмета си в новия свят, наивно предполагайки, че по-несправедлив от стария не може да има. Познават само, че има палми. И то – привнесени от европейците, а не – ендемични за региона. Повод да се напише книгата е откритието на Бринк в архивите, че германска фондация или някакво аналогично тяло по стандартите на епохата е организирало кампания за набиране на жени за изпращане с кораби до колонията да задоволят нуждите от съпруги и възпроизводство на предимно мъжкото бяло население. Във времена когато пообезценилите се през XXI век феминистки тези и лозунги за перманентно и повсеместно потисничество от страна на мъжете са имали значително повече основания в нормалния живот. Историята проследява една малтретирана до неузнаваемост непримирима с подчинено положение преселничка Ана Х. От лицемерно-пуританското сиропиталище в Бремен и хаотичната и кариера на слугиня на повече или по-малко противни типове, през един светъл епизод на чиста любов (без участие на мъж) до адското четиридневно пътуване с влак от Свакопмунд до Виндхук и изоставената за убежище на изоставени жени екстравагантна европейска крепост далеч от всякъде в Намибийската пустиня. Където всичко натрупано през годините се избистря в огнена омраза, а за цел на остатъка от живота ѝ остава закрилата на една по-млада и (още) не толкова многострадална душа. Оттук романът преминава е една приказка на африкански легенди, парцаливи бременски музиканти и обезобразени орлеански деви, които тръгват на свещен поход на отмъщението да сеят огън и жупел по мъжкото царство по вече опустошената от суровия климат и колониалната война земя през отровени от семейна и расова неприязън неплодородни земеделски стопанства, фундаменталистки християнски мисии, третиращи паствата си като роби, и необезпечени отбранителни фортове, обслужвани от побъркани от местоназначението си пруски новобранци, до заветната колониална столица с палмите. И ако нито божествата на народите кои-сан, нама и хереро, нито срещата с добър мъж, не съумеят да възпрат фанатичния им бяс, то остава надеждата да усетят най-голямата женска благодат у себе си – майчинството. Най-ярко запечатващи се в съзнанието моменти са клането по презумпция за виновност на спасилите я миргиращи нама заради цвета на кожата им в първата част, и смъртната присъда по презумпция за виновност на флиртуващия наборник заради пола му във втората.
August 5, 2016
Hanna suffered a lifetime of sexual abuse, first at the orphanage in Germany where she was raised and later in the homes of the families she was sent to work for. Finally an opportunity comes along to escape it all and she accepts an opportunity to be taken by boat to German South West Africa (now Namibia) to begin a new life. By an error in the passenger records, she is recorded as Hanna X. The trip isn't a fresh start; the abuse continues. After landing at Swakopmund and being passed over as an unsuitable wife, Hanna is loaded onto a train bound for Frauenstein, an outpost brothel where the soldiers can have their way. It is while on the train when she refuses the advances of a German officer that the abuse becomes physical and permanently disfiguring. Hanna tries to continue on with life, but when a young girl, Katja, comes to Frauenstein and an officer tries to have his way with her, Hanna goes to Katja's defense. Soon after that, Hanna decides to leave, determined by the rage within her to seek revenge for what had been done to her.
The dark side of Namibia's history. From the notes at the beginning and the end, it's clear that the story is rooted in actual events of the early 1900's. Hanna X and the German officer, Hauptmann Bohlke are both historical names of record. Much of the events in the tale are the fictional weaving of a story. I'd picked this up because I'd really enjoyed the other Brink book I've read, "A Dry White Season". While neither of them is light, easy reading, I enjoyed the latter one much more than this one. The trauma and abuse she suffers is horrific (thankfully not graphically described) and I kept wishing that there was a way for her to find peace. The ending was not at all what I expected. I'm not sorry that I read it; but it's not a book I'd care to re-read.
Jan 2014 changed rating from 2 to 3 stars because I got thinking of it as an important read, even if it wasn't a pleasant one.
The dark side of Namibia's history. From the notes at the beginning and the end, it's clear that the story is rooted in actual events of the early 1900's. Hanna X and the German officer, Hauptmann Bohlke are both historical names of record. Much of the events in the tale are the fictional weaving of a story. I'd picked this up because I'd really enjoyed the other Brink book I've read, "A Dry White Season". While neither of them is light, easy reading, I enjoyed the latter one much more than this one. The trauma and abuse she suffers is horrific (thankfully not graphically described) and I kept wishing that there was a way for her to find peace. The ending was not at all what I expected. I'm not sorry that I read it; but it's not a book I'd care to re-read.
Jan 2014 changed rating from 2 to 3 stars because I got thinking of it as an important read, even if it wasn't a pleasant one.
March 26, 2016
This book is in two parts. I could not put the book down for the first part. It tells the brutally horrific story of Hanna, a German woman in the early 20th century who had a desperately sad childhood and who sailed to Namibia, as it is now, in adulthood thinking she would have an adventure only to be viciously attacked and disfigured. It made painful reading but is so beautifully written that I was compelled to carry on. The second part is about her journey to seek revenge on those who attacked her. After 50 pages or so, I'd had enough. It's not that I stopped caring what happened to Hanna - not entirely. I just felt that it had become quite an ordinary novel despite it's earlier brilliance and I became bored with it. So for me, it would be 4 stars for part one followed by 2 stars for part two, therefore an average 3.
September 24, 2007
Very bleak. Very painful. Very good.
January 12, 2010
One of the most disturbing, spell-binding, and tragic depictions of life in Namibia/South-West-Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika). A story not easily forgotten.
March 24, 2013
Totally agree with a previous commentator: 'how many bad things can really happen to one woman?' Although Brink can tell a story well, it did seem a bit far fetched and unnecessarily violent.
October 10, 2022
Another captivating book by André Brink. My second reading.
September 13, 2014
This is a stunning book in every way. It is disturbing, violent and intense and yet it is impossible to put down. This is Hanna X's story; she is a young woman shipped to SW Africa to appease the appetites of the male German soldiers. As well as its blatant misogynism it deals with the horrors of colonial brutality. Do not miss the opportunity to read this incredible book.
October 1, 2019
This book taught me how violent the world was and is against women. It opened my eyes to unimaginable horrors. Although written as fiction, there are many aspects of this book that tell a horrible truth. It cut me and made me aware of life outside of what I know.
February 14, 2020
The novel « The Other Side of Silence» by South African author André Brink takes place during the same period of the German colony. Hanna X, the main character, is a young German leaving Bremen – where she grew up in an orphan house before working as a servant – to embark on a ship faring to the new colony. She is dreaming of new horizons. But in Namibia, the German administration is recruiting women mainly to appease the sexual needs of the colonists and the soldiers. Hanna will make that bitter experience in the train between Swakopmund and Windhoek, the capital city. She tries to fend off the advances of the drunken soldiers but cannot avoid being raped by an officer. She will be punished for having resisted: mutilated, her tongue cut, she finds herself, mute, in Frauenstein, a fort in the middle of the desert where they keep the women who have been rejected. She runs away and finds refuge and care among local women. She gradually forms around her a disparate group of women and men, whites and Africans who move up towards Windhoek where she plans to wreak vengeance. This is a hard novel, raw but powerful, like the desert.
http://www.travelreadings.org/2020/01...
http://www.travelreadings.org/2020/01...
November 5, 2020
This book is set in German South West Africa (current day Namibia). It tells the story of Hannah X, a young German girl who leaves Bremen for SW Africa, hoping for a new and better life.
Without giving any spoilers, the violence in this story is graphic. Yet I remained gripped by the tale. The abuse which Hannah suffers is relentless; first in the orphanage where she grows up, then as a servant and then when she finally tries to escape to a better world. She gets a passage on a ship to SW Africa as one of many women shipped out to appease the sexual needs of the German soldiers based there. And in Africa the brutality continues.
This is a harrowing story which in my mind stands as a memorial for so many women who have suffered. Hannah's resilience is extraordinary and she refuses to be cowed. I was sad that the focus in the second part of the book was so firmly on revenge. I would have loved it if Hannah could have won a victory standing in her power as a woman and breaking the cycle of violence.
Although it is a work of fiction, I think this book will stay with me as it is very close to the truth of what happened to many women.
Without giving any spoilers, the violence in this story is graphic. Yet I remained gripped by the tale. The abuse which Hannah suffers is relentless; first in the orphanage where she grows up, then as a servant and then when she finally tries to escape to a better world. She gets a passage on a ship to SW Africa as one of many women shipped out to appease the sexual needs of the German soldiers based there. And in Africa the brutality continues.
This is a harrowing story which in my mind stands as a memorial for so many women who have suffered. Hannah's resilience is extraordinary and she refuses to be cowed. I was sad that the focus in the second part of the book was so firmly on revenge. I would have loved it if Hannah could have won a victory standing in her power as a woman and breaking the cycle of violence.
Although it is a work of fiction, I think this book will stay with me as it is very close to the truth of what happened to many women.
September 10, 2022
Iedereen voert zijn eigen strijd. Ik dank de schrijver voor meer inzicht in dit gegeven en het schrijven van een.. hartverscheurend, op feiten gebaseerd vaak mensonterend verhaal waarin ik als lezer tegen de nietigheid van een mensenleven botste. Zo besefte ik dat je als mens zal blijven zoeken, je hele leven lang, denkende te weten naar wat, maar het wat zal je nooit vinden en wat je wel zal vinden, daar was je niet naar op zoek.
"Zijn we niet allemaal op zoek naar wat we nooit hebben gehad? De kinderen, de dromen, alles wat nooit heeft mogen worden wat het ooit had kunnen zijn. Alles wat afbreuk doet aan datgene waartoe we in staat zijn en wat we nu nooit zullen kennen. Maar juist om die reden mogen we niet ophouden. Het gaan zelf is belangrijker dan winnen of verliezen."
- André Brink
"Zijn we niet allemaal op zoek naar wat we nooit hebben gehad? De kinderen, de dromen, alles wat nooit heeft mogen worden wat het ooit had kunnen zijn. Alles wat afbreuk doet aan datgene waartoe we in staat zijn en wat we nu nooit zullen kennen. Maar juist om die reden mogen we niet ophouden. Het gaan zelf is belangrijker dan winnen of verliezen."
- André Brink
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2017
As I unpacked, I found this among my books and couldn't remember how it had gotten there. I had never heard of it and thought I'd give it a go. Bad idea. This is truly the worst novel I have ever read (I'm sorry if someone out there gave it to me and likes it!). I kept reading just to see if anything redeeming would finally happen to poor Hanna X, who endures literally every type of abuse known to woman, but instead, she decides to let hate and revenge take over and starts killing everyone she can find. Dismal with details of torture and abuse--downright awful. Blech... Worse than L'Assommoir, which I read in college and threw against my dorm wall in disgust when I finished the last page.
September 7, 2017
I struggled with rating this book but decided to give it a 4 since my only reasons for a lower rating were because it contains graphic violence or that the story is not a happy one. It is beautifully and even though is a tale of a truly dreadful existence, I could not put it down. I will need to find another of this author's books (on a more pleasant topic) as I am sure I will be enthralled.
Best line in the book "A man remains a mystery to her - that someone so big, so strong, so imperious, so peremptory, can be at the mercy of such a very small squiggle of his anatomy."
Best line in the book "A man remains a mystery to her - that someone so big, so strong, so imperious, so peremptory, can be at the mercy of such a very small squiggle of his anatomy."
June 13, 2021
André Brink. Together with Coetzee and Breytenbach, he was such a hero when I studied in France late 80s, early 90s.
I bought this book "The other side of silence" in 2010 and then it stayed on a shelf.
Reading this rich, Novel (with capital N) during these times really and deeply touched me. The German government just recently apologized to Namibia for the atrocities that they committed (especially against the Herero) in thei colony German South West Africa in the late 19th, early 20th century.
But little did I know how innocent German girls and young women, often orphans, were shipped to the colony to satisfy labour demands and... all kinds of demands. This book is dense and at times heartbreakingly difficult to read as I wonder: how much pain and suffering can one human being endure?
I am a European from a country that fortunately does not have a colonial past. But gosh, what atrocities do so many countries have on their conscience?
I feel grateful to the Grand Master Brink for having written this monument of a book.
For me this is "Waiting for the Barbarians - reloaded".
I bought this book "The other side of silence" in 2010 and then it stayed on a shelf.
Reading this rich, Novel (with capital N) during these times really and deeply touched me. The German government just recently apologized to Namibia for the atrocities that they committed (especially against the Herero) in thei colony German South West Africa in the late 19th, early 20th century.
But little did I know how innocent German girls and young women, often orphans, were shipped to the colony to satisfy labour demands and... all kinds of demands. This book is dense and at times heartbreakingly difficult to read as I wonder: how much pain and suffering can one human being endure?
I am a European from a country that fortunately does not have a colonial past. But gosh, what atrocities do so many countries have on their conscience?
I feel grateful to the Grand Master Brink for having written this monument of a book.
For me this is "Waiting for the Barbarians - reloaded".
September 6, 2017
The first part of this story is wonderfully written, harrowing, and unbearably beautiful. The second part, however, becomes a tedious movement through a desert of cliche and revenge drama, that really ruins the novels power. The ending contains the same feeling as how the story ended in part one, which makes the second part redundant. Brink for some reason felt the need to confirm Hanna's (his) conscious by delving into a female empowerment through revenge. Bullshit. Could've been great.
June 3, 2019
I enjoyed it on several different levels - I'm always a sucker for revenge and retribution stories; I savoured the landscapes and imagery of the Namibian desert and its characters; I appreciate the message and reminder of the legacy that men, and invaders of other forms, have left for future generations to process; I could relate to, was envious of, the clarity and simplicity of having a single, life-defining goal. It is beautiful and brutal writing that evoked intense feelings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2020
One of my favourite books of all time. Wonderfully written, incredibly impactful and insanely touching, this book was captivating and the story, messages, quotes and images are sure to haunt you long after you put it down. A beautiful blend of imagery, stories, characters and set in a historically accurate background, this is a definite must read.
May 8, 2024
I read this when I was 18. It was right up my alley! I admired the protagonist and felt her hurt in a deeply personal way. I remember the ending as liberation when the protagonist finally let her rage out and let herself take up space. This rang true to me as an 18 year old who hadn't let out their rage and let myself take up space.
August 8, 2018
A gruesome story. With the setting and the topic of mutilation and revenge and it being set in the arid lands of Namibia I imagined a Charlize Theron from Mad Max rampaging on the German forces. It was horrid but splendid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2019
I was shocked by the story and still feel so ... I still remember the book many years after reading it
February 1, 2021
So very dark. Obviously well-written but hard to read.
August 22, 2024
est-ce physiquement possible d’endurer autant de souffrances?
July 1, 2012
When Brink is at his best, he is a brilliant writer. When he is not at his best, he is still brilliant. I love the guy. The Other Side of Silence (which I read in Afrikaans, by the way) is a boring book. I put it aside a number of times because it seemed to be going nowhere. It does have a point, however. Brink came across the semi-anonymous Hanna X in one of the records while studying the history of German South-West Africa. Hanna was one of the countless mail-order brides, of sorts, who were shipped from orphanages in Germany to populate the new German colony. Brink's book is the story of a woman who we know nothing about and, as Brink explains, the reason he wrote the book was exactly the meagerness of historical records about Hanna and all others who shared her fate. Brink makes a clear distinction between what we know to be historical fact and what is fiction and, before you know it, you stop caring what the difference is. The writing style of the book is arid. However, its aridity matches the subject matter so well that the reader is willing to believe it is a historical account of what really happened to Hanna.
As the main character of the book, who is an outsider in her own story, Hanna stands for all the voiceless and downtrodden people of the world. However, after the first half of the book, something happens. Brink opens the second half of the book by saying that the first part was so desolate in its attempt to be a true historical reconstruction of her life that he had to resort to poetic license to make it work for the reader. A brutally honest statement! Except that the book really does not get any easier. At that point, the book changes into an allegory: Hanna's tongue is cut off and her body is mutilated by brutal German soldiers because she resisted their advances. Her muteness is what the "other side of silence" refers to. The main weakness of the book is that it does not get any more exhilarating after turning into an allegory. Even the bright moments turn into darkness. Its chess analogy illustrates how Hanna and a few other outcasts took on the German empire in the desert by their wits. There are also a few references to Joan of Arc, whose exploits were Hanna's inspiration. However, whatever Hanna does to beat the system only perpetuates the cycle of violence until she is consumed by it completely in the end.
The Other Side of Silence is far from the most entertaining book I have read. However, I was willing to forgive it a lot because the book's apparent pointlessness turned out to be its virtue. Although it was by no means an easy read, one did not get the sense of having wasted one's time after finishing it. Come to think of it, its ending was quite eloquent in its utter hopelessness. And whatever Brink does, he does it well.
As the main character of the book, who is an outsider in her own story, Hanna stands for all the voiceless and downtrodden people of the world. However, after the first half of the book, something happens. Brink opens the second half of the book by saying that the first part was so desolate in its attempt to be a true historical reconstruction of her life that he had to resort to poetic license to make it work for the reader. A brutally honest statement! Except that the book really does not get any easier. At that point, the book changes into an allegory: Hanna's tongue is cut off and her body is mutilated by brutal German soldiers because she resisted their advances. Her muteness is what the "other side of silence" refers to. The main weakness of the book is that it does not get any more exhilarating after turning into an allegory. Even the bright moments turn into darkness. Its chess analogy illustrates how Hanna and a few other outcasts took on the German empire in the desert by their wits. There are also a few references to Joan of Arc, whose exploits were Hanna's inspiration. However, whatever Hanna does to beat the system only perpetuates the cycle of violence until she is consumed by it completely in the end.
The Other Side of Silence is far from the most entertaining book I have read. However, I was willing to forgive it a lot because the book's apparent pointlessness turned out to be its virtue. Although it was by no means an easy read, one did not get the sense of having wasted one's time after finishing it. Come to think of it, its ending was quite eloquent in its utter hopelessness. And whatever Brink does, he does it well.
May 8, 2008
The other side of silence is … violence, or as the author himself states on page 137, a result of that “incidental little appendage” to the male anatomy. This is a book filled with rape and blood. So unless you’re brimming with rage and hurt, it will be a pointless read.
The covers of both the Afrikaans and the English versions depict one of the houses along the Skeleton Coast at Kolmanskop, Namibia. German troops tried to conquer “South West Africa” (better known as Namibia today) around 1885-1910, when Hanna X, a white German in the middle of the desert, tells her devastating story. Or maybe it’s merely the story imposed on her by a white male writer, whom we could call Don Quixote. A single metaphor from the book gives Brink the credence one reads about in the media, when Kahapa (Hanna’s black accomplice) disappears behind the “white scar of a house against the night’s black skin”. As the desert devours the house on the cover, so Africa gorges on its imperialists. Because of the way they impose themselves on the country (and on women), this cannot happen without revenge.
PS: Certain theorists view The Other Side of Silence as an act of penance on Brink’s behalf. Should this hold true, taking his affair with Ingrid Jonker into account, her poem I am with those ( … who abuse sex / because the individual doesn’t count / … / [forget] about love it has no right.) cuts to the bone. The question even arises whether Jonker could be placed in the garb of Hanna X and Brink that of Heinrich Böhlke.
The covers of both the Afrikaans and the English versions depict one of the houses along the Skeleton Coast at Kolmanskop, Namibia. German troops tried to conquer “South West Africa” (better known as Namibia today) around 1885-1910, when Hanna X, a white German in the middle of the desert, tells her devastating story. Or maybe it’s merely the story imposed on her by a white male writer, whom we could call Don Quixote. A single metaphor from the book gives Brink the credence one reads about in the media, when Kahapa (Hanna’s black accomplice) disappears behind the “white scar of a house against the night’s black skin”. As the desert devours the house on the cover, so Africa gorges on its imperialists. Because of the way they impose themselves on the country (and on women), this cannot happen without revenge.
PS: Certain theorists view The Other Side of Silence as an act of penance on Brink’s behalf. Should this hold true, taking his affair with Ingrid Jonker into account, her poem I am with those ( … who abuse sex / because the individual doesn’t count / … / [forget] about love it has no right.) cuts to the bone. The question even arises whether Jonker could be placed in the garb of Hanna X and Brink that of Heinrich Böhlke.
September 11, 2012
Brink is an exceptional writer with an extraordinary understanding of native southern Africa while superbly able to mix both black and white stories into a gripping narrative mix. Brink is not the only South African writer able to do this, but managing to bridge that cultural gap, he and writers like him, are the vanguard of those bringing peoples together.
Not that Brink's, or J.M. Coetzee's for that matter, stories are typically uplifting; the contrary. The Other Side of Silence highlights Germany's regular shipments of young women from the Fatherland to what is now Namibia, primarily to supply the German troops with a host of eligible mates.
The story, focusing on one woman making the trip, is a degrading tale of being rejected over and over again while trying to stand up in the face of adversity, often not succeeding. It's Brink's ability to weave a tapestry of history, emotions and cultures which make the book a good read.
Not that Brink's, or J.M. Coetzee's for that matter, stories are typically uplifting; the contrary. The Other Side of Silence highlights Germany's regular shipments of young women from the Fatherland to what is now Namibia, primarily to supply the German troops with a host of eligible mates.
The story, focusing on one woman making the trip, is a degrading tale of being rejected over and over again while trying to stand up in the face of adversity, often not succeeding. It's Brink's ability to weave a tapestry of history, emotions and cultures which make the book a good read.
May 23, 2025
First I must say that Andre Brink is one of my favourite writers. All his books are good, quite many are excellent.
This novel falls into the "good" category. Not among the best of Brinks but far better than many of the best novels from other authors.
Somehow I experienced this a bit uneven in style. The story started with a heavier approach (lots of words and contemplation) and suddenly it changed into almost adventure mode which was much easier to read through without deeper thinking. I didn't mind but I felt that the first half of the story had been written at different time than the latter part.
The story itself was once again a deep dive into human evilness and cruelty. Mainly the maliciousness of men towards women and native Africans. The white supremacy at its worst. Not too many bright spots included. And the sad thing is naturally that in reality it has been even worse.
Awakening story. This should not have happened, it should not happen again. Anywhere. But unfortunately it will.
Hiljaisuuden tuolla puolen
WSOY 2003
This novel falls into the "good" category. Not among the best of Brinks but far better than many of the best novels from other authors.
Somehow I experienced this a bit uneven in style. The story started with a heavier approach (lots of words and contemplation) and suddenly it changed into almost adventure mode which was much easier to read through without deeper thinking. I didn't mind but I felt that the first half of the story had been written at different time than the latter part.
The story itself was once again a deep dive into human evilness and cruelty. Mainly the maliciousness of men towards women and native Africans. The white supremacy at its worst. Not too many bright spots included. And the sad thing is naturally that in reality it has been even worse.
Awakening story. This should not have happened, it should not happen again. Anywhere. But unfortunately it will.
Hiljaisuuden tuolla puolen
WSOY 2003
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