Splinterspel

by Eleanor Baker

Sy het haar identiteit van haar voel weggly - haar bestaan sien versplinter tot leegheid. Sy was bang vir die lang spieël wat haar uitgelig het uit die vaal landskap van haar bestaan en weg van haar moeder ...
Sy het altyd geweet dit kon gebeur en sy het die dag gevrees dat dit wel sou plaasvind - dat sy in die spieël sou kyk maar haarself nie daarin sou sien nie.
Sy wou die spieël met 'n kleed toedek, maar ook dié kon sy nie - want sy moes daarin kyk om haar hare netjies te hou. Met haar vrees moes sy saamleef!
En toe het daardie vreeslike dag aangebreek! Sy het in die spieël gekyk, haar gesig teen die glas gedruk maar daar was niks - heeltemal niks! Was dit die einde van haar splinterwêreld waar sin, waansin, werklikheid en hallusinasie in so 'n warspul vermeng was dat sy nie langer die skimbeeld van die werklikheid kon onderskei nie? Van niks van Johanna meer seker nie - net van haar haat vir haar tirannieke moeder. Maar dit was 'n frustrerende haat omdat die vrou wat sy verafsku het tegelyk oor die enigest vasigheid in haar lewe was.
Splinterpel is die aangrypende tragiese verhaal van die geestelike versplintering van 'n jong vrou soos deur haarself ertel en iets verfissend nuuts in die Afrikaanse verhaalkuns.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Although Baker initially studied music, she obtained her M.A. in Afrikaans (cum laude) in 1968 at the University of Pretoria. In Johannesburg she worked as a school teacher and got married to Walter Baker in 1969. Three years later her debut Wêreld sonder einde appeared, albeit that Weerkaatsings (Reflections) established her status as an important (though unfortunately often undervalued) Afrikaans author who penned 56 books in the end. Since her husband was in the diplomatic service, the couple moved from Teheran to Den Haag and from there to Montreal and Brussels before returning to South Africa to retire. Baker died of cancer at the age of 57.

She sometimes used the pseudonyms Christine le Roux and Alex Muller.

Reviews

[Rodeweeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of the story I were angry at the mother for the way she treat her daughter but as the story continued it became more and more difficult to know what is true and what is only in the head of the daughter. She became increasingly suspicious of everyone and everything until at last she seems to disappear for herself. There is no real end to the story and I think the purpose is to leave the reader as confused as possible. Great writing skill, I enjoyed the feeling of confusion when the main character's thought patterns and reality became entangled. The mind is an immensely powerful tool and if it is used wrong it can really lead to much sorrow... at the same time I do wonder if the main character did not have something like a tumour perhaps, but this is not made clear as the story is told completely from her own point of view

[Ilze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat 'n uiters tragiese en roerende verhaal. Aanvanklik vertrou 'n mens die verteller, maar aangaande raak sy al hoe meer onbetroubaar en op die ou ent het Baker die verteller/Johanna en die leser só verstrengel dat 'n mens van niks meer seker kan wees nie. Dis 'n seer verhaal.