Grace

by Barbara Boswell

Family secrets run deep for Grace, a young girl growing up in Cape Town during the 1980s, spilling over into adulthood, and threatening to ruin the respectable life she has built for herself. When an old childhood friend reappears, Grace�s memories of her childhood come rushing back, and she is confronted, once again, with the loss that has shaped her. She has to face up to the truth or continue to live a lie � but the choice is not straightforward. Grace is an intimate portrayal of violence, both personal and political, and its legacy on one person�s life. It meditates on the long shadow cast by personal trauma, showing the intergenerational imprint of violence and loss on people�s lives.

202 pages, ebook

First published July 19, 2017

About the author

Barbara Schroeder was born on 28 October 1946 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, USA. She worked as nurse, before she married William P. Boswell, a attorney, and they had three daughters.

She has been a longtime romance novel fan, becoming hooked on the romances by Harlequin back in the mid-‘70s when she was home with her three small daughters. When the youngest reached school age in 1983, she wanted something to do with her extra time. She thought about going back to nursing, but didn't care to deal with hospital shifts. She'd often made up stories in her head and/or continued the stories that she'd read, so it seemed like a fun idea to try to write a story of her own. It took a lot more effort and organization than the loosely strung-together scenes she'd run through her mind, but she was right about the fun part! She enjoyed the whole process and wrote a story that she knew she would enjoy reading. She sent it off and was thrilled when it was accepted! It was even more exciting to see her name on the book cover. Some 50-plus books later, it's still a thrill to see her name on the book and it's still fun to make up stories — at least most of the time!

Barbara gets her ideas from everywhere but especially from reading, which she loves to do. Sometimes, just a sentence in a newspaper or a magazine will spark an idea to develop into a romance. Other times, she'll be inspired by another romance novel and she will try to put her own spin on a favorite old plot. Barbara believes that we all have our preferences — she's always been partial to the "secret baby" story line. That, plus the "marriage of convenience" and class or family conflicts are some of her particular favorites.

Her three daughters are all grown up now, and she and her husband are the proud grandparents of a beautiful little grandson. They also have three cats who seem to think that they are the rulers of their house. They are terribly spoiled, and they just might be right.

Reviews

[Tumelo Moleleki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that I have wanted to write. I realise I would never have told it with this level of psychological dexterity. I love how the author writes. The story was engaging. The characters believable and so real. Grace is, sadly, a woman I hate more than pity. She is the reason generations of women are locked in prisons of their own making. To me, the fear she speaks of having lived is a fallacy. She is simply a masochist. She enjoyed living in fear and pain. She enjoyed looking for affection in places she knew she would not find it. She prepared the bed for disappointment because she knew it was coming; having carved out its path and ordained its destination.

A few editorial errors that I noticed did take away from my reading experience as they forced me to deviate from continuing in order to resolve them in my mind before I could continue.

I believe there are women who will see themselves in Grace, but they will squash that recognition because they too now revel in hardship that could be avoided.

Why is human psychology so easy to manipulate and overpower???

[Penny de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Boswell’s depiction of a dysfunctional family and its intergenerational effects is so close to the bone. I marvel at the ability to make every sentence strike the core. This deadly dance. The inevitability of patterns repeating. Executed without hyperbole.

[Malebo Sephodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book for 2017. A complex story written beautifully. The word usage is an absolute delight.

[Puleng Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating story of how a young woman's debilitating past of trauma, loss and violence, domestic and political, manages to worm itself back into her current stable and promising life to haunt her

Mainly set in a coloured township reserve in Cape town, during the 1980's.

Through the main themes of grief, loss, violence, patriarchy and domestic abuse. Grace the novel demonstrates the insidious nature of generational abuse. How if it is not consciously and deliberately processed and tackled, is wont to lead to its victims becoming its future perpetrators. Or the victims subconsciously going back to it.

I got to witness how the more things change the more they stay the same. How life can have the same story line, but, different actors and settings. I also got reminded that parents can either make or break us. That blood is not always thicker than water. That homes are some of the most dangerous, toxic and fatal spaces. Also that there is bad and good in everyone.

A multi-layered narration that showcases the authors expert understanding of the subject matter, through lived experiences and being a professor in literature and by being a gender activist.

I loved the unexpected open ending, allows for debate and leaves the door ajar for varied eventualities.

A page turner full of mystery and suspense. I was enticed with mini reveals that kept me glued and wanting; while at the same time more intriguing developments were unfolding . The one example being the letter Grace received, at one point I wanted to go into the book, retrieve and read it.

With violent crimes against women being a national sport in our country, I would recommend that all players, especially the culprits, read the book, to identify their role with the objective of seeking help and making our world a better place.

Grace was long listed for the Sunday Times Literary Award and won the UJ Debut Prize in 2018.Brilliant, educational offering.

[Winnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book worthy reading,kept me on my toes.I loved it from the word go.Well written, the storyline aligned to my liking.I found it so fluent,an easy read.Grace disappointed me right to the core.I expected better from her..oh well

[Elite Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets and lies form an integral part of Grace’s background.

The resilient young girl starts her journey in Cape Town of the 1980s. Despite her highly dysfunctional start in a family where relationships were heartbreaking and complex beyond measure, she manages to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to carve out a respectable life for herself.

An old childhood friend emerges to reignite devastating childhood memories. Grace’s adult life is filled with love and stability, but half-truths and hidden family secrets threaten to derail everything she has worked so hard to build up. She faces an unbearable choice – reveal the truth or keep up the veneer.

Barbara Boswell’s graceful prose and masterful storytelling serve to present us with the long term effects of trauma and violence in families, which can follow generations of victims. It is never easy to break the cycle, but Boswell offers us a window of hope and the possibility of doing just that.

Boswell has crafted a highly significant novel which has lingered long after the final page was turned. Grace is a must read and an excellent addition to the South African writing landscape.

Gigi

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Telana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t your cutesy-grab-your-florals-it-ends-with-us book about domestic violence. This is raw, this is honest and traumatic. I kept screaming at Grace - “You are trauma bonding - RUN sister RUN”. There were moments in this book, where Grace’s fear is palatable and this is all due to the excellent writing by Boswell! I grew up with a Grace and a Mary in our family, and the nuances and silence around domestic violence in coloured communities is so accurately captured in this book that I kept reflecting on my own family, and how complicit we were in the trauma.

[Cheraé · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I grew up in a different coloured township far from Cape Town and in a different province all together, the description of a sunken battered coloured community was still close to home. This is something I am enjoying more and more as I engage with South African authors writing South African stories. Barbara’s writing flows easily across the pages and transports me to imagery I am familiar with. I love this about Grace.

The story itself, one of intergenerational trauma, is set against the backdrop of a country’s trauma. While the story of Grace is about one womxn, the reality of GBV as a cycle that will continue for some generations more is summoned. It is only until we address the need for healing from our violent past as a nation, that we will be able to address toxic masculinity in our homes.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He took her back to a place which was surprisingly sweet, reminding her that there had been more to life than just violence and chaos."

"It's me, Grace. You don't have to pretend. I know what happened in your house long before your mother died. Everybody knew."
"Why didn't they help us then?"

As a child growing up with domestic violence, you will always be burdened by shame and how that becomes a secret you carry into your present. Feelings of unworthiness follow you because of what a parent did or did not do.

Grace is a compelling read. Still my best book to date.

[Jen Thorpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is heart wrenching and beautiful. It reflects on the way that cycles of trauma and violence can extend their tendrils out from the past and into the future, and the small actions that people can take to end the intergenerational cycle. I felt deeply for every character, even when they did horrible things to themselves and others. A powerful read.

[Vuyiswa Fumba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. It shows the reality of so many south african woman and it moved me to tears many times.

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unmaking Grace by Barbara Boswell -an interesting story based in Cape Town in the 1980s and of course I couldn't relate to it but I was intrigued by the story and it all goes at a very fast pace, there are so many situations and small things that happen and it really looks like a real-life story. Grace was the young woman who witnessed something terrible and would never get over it, she is the teenager who falls in love with a boy that disappears, she's a woman who makes a life of her own but certain things from the past are coming back to get her world upside down and she has to take some decisions that will change her future.
Overall, I enjoyed the book because it really felt real and shows that we have to think twice about any decision that we take in life and usually it's still not the smartest one.

[Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prof Boswell's writing is a work of art. Her way with words is remarkable. Stunning prose. Grace is an interesting story starting during apartheid and concluding a few years into democratic South Africa. It is an story about characters that stay with you even after the story is over. I could see Prof Boswell's personal politics weaved into the story. I concur with @malebosephodi that we need a sequel. I am curious about what happens to Grace,David, and Johnny.

I am angry with Grace for a number of reasons. This story echoes the lives of so many Black womxn today

[Gogontle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A striking novel which follows the life of Grace; a girl living in the Cape flats in 1980's South Africa. This capturing novel explores relationships between parents and children as well as those of a romantic nature. Boswell's "Grace" also investigates the effects of trauma, both on a national and domestic level. The striking novel navigates the complexities of time, familial affairs, re-invention and what it truly means to be haunted by the past.

[Nelisiwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read. The book documents the far-reaching impacts of domestic violence, substance abuse and desire . The author is able to create portraits of the spousal as well as parent -child relationships and their brokenness. In this book I saw how easy it is for humans to see the imperfection in others and yet forget the emotional and physical wounds they inflict on others.

[The Wonderful Words Podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Episode 5 of the wonderful words podcast we chat with the author dr barbara boswell about writing techniques and her first novel - Grace !

click the link to choose a listening platform

https://campsite.bio/wonderfulwordspo...

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, hard-hitting South African book about domestic violence.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down, but I did find the ending quite frustrating (although, I think that is necessary for the main theme).

[Todd Mcferryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Barbara Boswell
writer | scholar | educator | nazi

[Barbara Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace seems determined break away from where she began, but its not that easy.
Great read.