Unconfessed

by Yvette Christiansë

PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FINALIST

A fiercely poetic literary debut re-creating the life of an 19th-century slave woman in South Africa.

Slavery as it existed in Africa has seldom been portrayed—and never with such texture, detail, and authentic emotion. Inspired by actual 19th-century court records, Unconfessed is a breathtaking literary tour de force. They called her Sila van den Kaap, slave woman of Jacobus Stephanus Van der Wat of Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. A woman moved from master to master, farm to farm, and—driven by the horrors of slavery to commit an unspeakable crime—from prison to prison. A woman fit for hanging . . . condemned to death on April 30, 1823, but whose sentence the English, having recently wrested authority from the Dutch settlers, saw fit to commute to a lengthy term on the notorious Robben Island.

Sila spends her days in the prison quarry, breaking stones for Cape Town's streets and walls. She remembers the day her childhood ended, when slave catchers came — whipping the air and the ground and we were like deer whipped into the smaller and smaller circle of our fear. Sila remembers her masters, especially Oumiesies ("old Missus"), who in her will granted Sila her freedom, but Theron, Oumiesies' vicious and mercenary son, destroys the will and with it Sila's life. Sila remembers her children, with joy and with pain, and imagines herself a great bird that could sweep them up in her wings and set them safely on a branch above all harm. Unconfessed is an epic novel that connects the reader to the unimaginable through the force of poetry and a far-reaching imagination.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, South Africa, Race, African Literature, Read For School, Novels

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Nicole Gervasio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writing style in general-- lyrical, kind of stream-of-consciousness, very convincing. Mainly, I still have reservations about the plot; the history is really compelling, but it seems like it's expected to carry the story itself. On some level, I know you're not meant to understand the primary conflict underpinning the whole book-- the fact of Sila having committed infanticide-- but I'm not sure the plot pulled through without at least a little further exploration of Sila's emotional state. Basically, the part where you find out "what happened" takes place in court at the end, and feels very rushed, almost surreal.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Snooze, snore, boo & bore! Best words to describe. Or maybe I'm just ignorant and too slow to recognize the intellecut of this book. I attempted to read it TWICE and still couldn't finish it. I'm not understanding the purpose of this book. No characther development. No decent plot analysis. Just seems like a bootleg "Beloved". Maybe during another 3 snowstorms of 2010 will I try again....FLUKE!

[Kaj Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

De rijke binnenwereld van een tot slaaf gemaakte ziel. Of zoals de Zuid-Afrikaanse Yvette Christiansë in 'Unconfessed' (2006) raakt aan datgene wat voor geen enkel mens afgepakt kan worden: de verbeelding. Tot slaaf gemaakte Sila van den Kaap heeft geen beschikking meer over wat er mer haar lichaam gebeurt of wie eraan mag zitten. Talloze verkrachtingen en gruwelijke lijfstraffen. Haar bloedeigen kinderen worden stelselmatig van haar afgepakt. Er wordt haar een christendom opgelegd waarin zij een ondergeschikte rol heeft ten opzichte van witte medemensen. Zelfs een juridisch vastgelegde vrijheidsbelofte van een voormalige slavenhoudster blijkt weinig bindend wanneer de zoon besluit om zijn moeders wens naast zich neer te leggen. Maar met elke afstompende vernedering bijt Sila zich vast in het beetje invloed wat ze zelf kan uitoefenen op de wereld. Het brengt haar tot de ultieme zonde als ze haar eigen zoon vermoordt om hem verdere martelingen te besparen.

'Unconfessed' (2006) is opgezet als een episodische verzameling gedachtestromen waarin Sila van den Kaap vat probeert te krijgen op haar tegenstrijdige emoties. Voor de buitenwereld lijkt een zwaar getraumatiseerde Sila haar verstand te hebben verloren, maar middels haar gesprekken met de geest van haar overleden zoon reconstrueert ze het immense onrecht dat haar is aangedaan. Zo oordeelt ze over de witte plantagehouders die nu zo hardvochtig over haar oordelen. Met haar bittere observaties fileert ze hun egoïsme en kromme wereldbeeld. Zelfs richting goedbedoelende witte mensen als slavenhoudster Oumiesies en haar oprechte voornemen om Sila met haar kinderen vrijheid te verlenen. Maar ook deze kloeke madam liet een puinhoop achter toen ze weigerde om haar tot slaaf gemaakten vrij te laten tijdens haar eigen leven. Haar blinde vlek naar zoon Theron maakte dat zij werkelijk geloofde dat haar tot slaaf gemaakten gratie zouden worden verleend. Voor Sila is 't de grootste deceptie dat een geprivilegieerd iemand zo in haar eigen belangrijkheid kon geloven, zelfs wanneer de alledaagse realiteit daar geen aanleiding toe gaf.

'Unconfessed' (2006) is meer karaktergedreven dan plotgedreven. In deze roman vooral veel introspectieve beschouwingen van iemand die innerlijke waarheden ontrafelt omdat ze haar vat is verloren op tijd en ruimte. Haar eigen trauma als een middel om tot de kern te komen van groot maatschappelijk onrecht. Schrijfster Yvette Christiansë brengt Sila's onverzettelijkheid tot leven met een poëtische stijl vol magisch-realistische elementen en naturalistische beschrijvingen van Sila's gevangenisbestaan op de Robbeneilanden. Toch werkt dezelfde meanderende opzet óók een tikkeltje vermoeiend door de continue tijdssprongen en een subjectieve vertelster die haar eigen realiteit schept. Uiteindelijk komen de eindjes wel weer bij elkaar in enkele bikkelharde sleutelmomenten, maar het narratief raakt net iets te vaak spanning kwijt met bloemrijke terzijdes. Overdadige mooischrijverij leidt net iets te vaak af van de kern. Al blijft Sila van den Kaap zonder meer een ijzersterke ik-verteller als een tot slaaf gemaakte die eindeloos meer lagen heeft dan haar afhankelijke positie doet vermoeden. Haar verbeelding en menselijkheid klinken luider dan haar gevangen zijn.

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 3 out of 5]

"No mother wants to know that her generations are condemned to the life she despises."" - Sila from Unconfessed

Unconfessed is the story of Sila, a slave who is sentenced to fourteen years of hard labor at South Africa's infamous Robben Island for murder of her son, Baro. Sila, captured as a youth from neighboring Mozambique, has borne a life of hardships. Freedom, promised to Sila and her children upon the death of her mistress, is swindled from her by the destruction of the will by the mistress's financially inept son. She and her children are sold back into bondage to settle gambling debts. She lands at the farm of a sadistic cruel master whose fetish is boxing/slapping slaves about the head, so fiercely that Sila becomes deaf in one ear from the beatings. When six-year old Baro embarrasses the master and his wife in front of their future in-laws by innocently implying that the master is his father, he is beaten unmercifully as an adult would be in such a manner that even the guests are appalled at the master's punishment. After the guests leave, more beatings ensue in the following days for Sila and her son. By the fourth day, Sila realizes that Baro, covered in bruises and suffering from broken bones, will never perform well enough or respond quick enough to ever please their owners. Knowing that he will be the constant target of their owner's anger and eventually will be sold away to a life of bondage, she frees her son from his earthly torment by putting a knife to his throat.

The story is told in Sila's voice via alternating memories from her childhood, servitude, trial, and prison experiences. The book's title refers to her never confessing to the crime, but cites one word (heartsore) as the rationale for her actions. Borrowing the theme from Toni Morrison's Beloved, Christianse authors a fictional tale based on proven facts. She created a character that seemed as if she could have actually existed at some point in time. She wrote the story with such convincing ken that Sila's story seems rooted in authenticity - no doubt she worked hard under extreme conditions, was repeatedly raped and sexually abused all her life, and suffered unimaginable mental stress and utmost heartbreak with the death and sale of her children.

On a personal note, I deducted a point for a couple of drawbacks. There seemed to be too many repetitive passages that did nothing to enhance or advance the established plot. Sila's soul is angry and tortured, however her extended inner monologues to express those emotions were quite numerous. The lyrical and somewhat poetic dialogues with her deceased children to calm her spirit and justify her actions were a bit protracted and sometimes read as abstract ramblings. However, I really enjoyed the history lessons contained within the book. The author cleverly folds in the inhumane conditions of Robben Island, the Dutch reaction to British anti-slavery laws, and the resistance of the indigenous Xhosa people against the Dutch. This is a notable read for historical (literary) fiction fans.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful. the writing was all over the place. i get that this probably should show sila's state of mind, but this could have been done so much better. i tried...but i felt nothing. if i didn't had to i would Not have finished it.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Onvan : Unconfessed - Nevisande : Yvette ChristiansĚÇ - ISBN : 1590512405 - ISBN13 : 9781590512401 - Dar 360 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2006

[Ashley]

DNF: was supposed to read for class... may go back to it later.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short review because I read this over a month ago: I had mixed feelings about this book, but by the end I came to be glad that I'd read it.

Unconfessed is written in a very oblique stream-of-consciousness style, skipping frequently between different time-periods, and it took me a long time to settle into. For the first 100 pages, I couldn't connect to the story or narrator at all (though possibly this was less the fault of the book and more the fault of a work project I was stressed out about that prevented me from giving the writing the attention as it deserved). But then I suddenly settled into it, and the poetry of the language began to really work for me, and was often powerful and striking.

The plot is about an enslaved Black woman who is imprisoned for murdering a child; most of her narration is addressed to the ghost of her young son. The combined implication of these facts is not explicitly confirmed until near the end, though it's pretty self-evident from page one. It's an incredibly depressing plot, even more so than that starting premise; there's one point near the end when it seems like Sila might find some small piece of happiness in her life, only to have horrific tragedy strike from a brand-new and unexpected angle. So I wouldn't recommend it unless you're ready to be depressed.

Overall, Unconfessed does sort of blend into the general crowd of 'Black woman has heartbreaking life' books. But on the other hand, by the end I was in love with the language, even though it's a genre that tends to have remarkable writing. I wouldn't rank it above 'Beloved' or 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', but if you're looking to read more in that area, it would be a good fit.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

an intense meditation on slavery and colonialism in south africa

sila, the narrator, gives us a stream-of-consciousness narration that can be hard to follow at times

better to read this in large chunks than pick it up and put it down

taken as a slave from her native mozambique, raped viciously by white men throughout south africa, sila loses her mind after being set free in her last master's will and then taken anyway and sold off by her master's son

her children are scattered across the continent, she is sentenced to murder, and eventually sent to a prison island off the coast of cape town to serve her sentence

although sila rambles at times, she gets to the heart of what it is to be not just a slave, but a female slave, to lose her body completely and totally

when she talks about the king of england wanting to end slavery in british-occupied south africa, her disdain and hilarity are palpable and infectious

who is this man to write about himself in the third person concerning her life, a life of betrayal and survival through any means necessary?

[Sara Dalla Palma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho dovuto leggere questo libro per un corso universitario e se non avessi dovuto farlo, non so se lo avrei portato a termine.
In questo libro seguiamo Sila, una donna che racconta al figlio la storia della sua vita. Non lo fa, però, con un ordine cronologico, bensì in modo causale, che può risultare difficile alla lettura. Eppure, penso che questo sia fatto di proposito per dimostrare lo stato mentale, causato dalla schiavitù e dalle continue percosse ricevute dalla protagonista.
Il libro è sicuramente deprimente ma ha anche il problema di essere estremamente confusionario fino a pagina 100. Poi, il lettore si abitua alla lettura, ai personaggi e alla scrittura e tutto procede più velocemente.

[Joha Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a time when Indian Ocean Slave Trade narratives are basically non-existent Unconfessed is a hopeful light in the tunnel for discovering our past in South Africa and coming to terms with our futures. This story is based on a real case of Sila van den Kaap who killed her child, the only word recorded in court being 'hartzeer' (heartsore). The author gives a voice to a woman whose voice was taken away and this novel grants us a moment's glance into the brutality and grief of the slave trade in South Africa.

[Selena Calingo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. I really wanted to like it, but could not make myself feel interested in the main character or her hardships.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed learning about history from the south african perspective. christianse is very good at provoking both emotion and confusion at the same time. the nonlinear timeline is effective but also played a big role in dragging out certain boring moments.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult read. It was written well, and I understand the style in which it was written, but it was difficult. It is written in the voice of Sila, an imprisoned woman in South Africa. She had been put into slavery, given freedom in the will of one of her masters, denied that freedom by the son of that master and deceived, used, abused until she found that one of her sons was to live the same life. The book never explains exactly what mother does to the son to land her in prison, but it is alluded to over and over again. Part of the difficulty in reading the book is the repetitiveness without truly repeating, giving the reader a sense of familiarity with the stories that are told over and over again. After imprisoned for her "crime" Sila continues to be used and abused, giving birth to multiple children after imprisonment. She refuses to allow anyone to convince her she is anything but the free woman as designated by the will of her master, in this way achieving freedom while imprisoned by not "accepting her place" as she is often told to do and by not letting those that are her masters before and during imprisonment forget that she is human and not an animal or property.

If I could rate subject matter and readability separately I would give 4 stars for the former and 3 for the latter.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The jacket says this is "compulsively readable" and I would agree, but I thought it was a little too long. This is a first novel and I think if it had been written as a second novel there wouldn't have been quite so much semi-incomprehensible rambling inner voice from the main character. Not that everyone should (or does) think clearly at all times, but some of it felt a little self-indulgent on the part of the author. Having said that, I have to add that I liked the book very much, and I couldn't put it down, and I thought the chronology of the narrative was very well done. The way the first person account circles the events, getting a little closer on each pass felt like a true reflection of Silia coming to terms with her life.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes you ache for the mistakes and misconceptions of humanity, especially in regard to slavery. The beginning of the book was interesting and then I got bored so I hurried and skimmed through the middle just to finish it and then it got interesting again. The simplistic writing style is appropriate for the character and narration, but sometimes hard to follow. Didn't realize until the end that there is a glossary...would have helped throughout.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the early 1800's in South Africa this is the moving story of a young woman who is falsely accused and imprisoned. The book lost me frequently though, as it moved in time too frequently. You almost have to read it at one seating to keep track of everyone. She is a black woman,so obviously she is enslaved. There was also a curious lack of feelings or what was described wasn't enough to figure it out.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the hardest most beautifully written book I have read, possibly ever. It is one of those books I never know whether or not to recommend to people because the subject-matter is truly abhorrent. But, the language. The main-character's strength, sorrow and fearlessness... It is an awful, lovely, heart-wrenching work. Read it in small pieces. Just when you think you can't take the heartbreak, it turns on itself.

[Kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I found it very dreary. I think a second voice from another character might have made Sila's ramblings more coherent and interesting. On their own, the entire book is a descent into Sila's madness, but unfortunately in a way that bored me with her story rather than stirred compassion or anger or anything. It was just too droning and repetitive without much explanation.

[Dorothy Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this novel. It was written by the author through the diary of a woman inside an offshore island prison in Africa who appears to be insane but is not. The setting ties into post-slavery and has such an intense and indulging depiction of realism for the reader that it is hard to put this book down. I learned so much from reading this book and suggest it as a must read.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely profound tale of a free black woman tossed back into the bounds of slavery in 19th Century South Africa. It's told in firsthand accounts by the slowly diminishing heroine, Sila . This is a slice of history many African-Americans aren't knowledgeable of. If you read this you will want to learn more about slavery in Africa.

[Marie Theron]

A poetic and expressive monologue by a slave woman on Robben Island. She finds solace in her imaginary conversations. The detail in this book reminds one strongly of Islands by Dan Sleigh and the theme is Beloved-like (as reviewers are quick to point out) but there is no copying of Toni Morrison's style. Slow-moving, yet un-putdownable.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a woman named Sila. The book talks about slavery, what happened to slaves, how they were treated, what was expected of them and not knowing what freedom is. When I read this book, I felt a strong connection with Sila. In my opinion, Sila is a strong woman who fought hard against slavery. Every woman who is free or wants to be independent will cherish this book.

[T S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just want to share a quote from the book that I like.

Is this all there is to the world? Sad women? I have seen laughter, of course I have seen laughter. Even days of laughter, and love and happiness, but nothing lasts. I think some women collect their sadness in pockets that they store around their bodies.

[kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was uneven, but lovely through about 2/3 of it. Very sad. Strong central character and narrative voice, but I wish we had gotten more of the 3rd person narration from the first chapter, which was more consistently compelling than the internal narration.

[Janene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't force myself to finish this one.....which is very rare for me. Did not care for the style of writing. Not that is was not well written. What I did read did not leave me with the desire to read more.

[Abdulkader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you come across a book that makes you stand up and take note. This is one of those books for me. It portrays the dehumanising history of South Africa that is so easily forgotten, even one that we live with us in our everyday.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some fine writing and interesting look at slavery in South Africa, but the story stalls. I scanned the last half of the book, interested enough to want to know what happened, but not willing to endure the repetition.

[Marilyn Saul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I got half-way through this book. At times the writing was lyrical; at times confusing. But I had to abandon it, primarily because it was just too depressing and I anticipated that the last half would bring no resolution - just continued hopelessness.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could barely finish it - interesting novel about a girl kidnapped from Mozambique and grew up a slave in South Africa written in flashbacks.