Salt & Honey

Koba & Mannie #1

by Candi Miller

Koba is taken away from her Kalahari desert-tribe after seeing her parents being murdered by a party of white hunters. She slowly learns to adapt and survive in a dangerous but beautiful environment. However, she is plagued by the knowledge that unless she leaves those who have grown to love her, she faces exile from her own people.

Genres: Africa, Fiction, Book Club

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2006

About the author

Candi Miller was born and educated in Africa, but now lives in England where she teaches Creative Writing. Salt & Honey is her first novel.

Reviews

[Sally Whitehead]

A hard read to review in some ways. I feel I may be being overly critical of what is essentially a good book, partly due to the fact I was distracted when I began it and really struggled to focus over the first 50 pages or so, and secondly because perhaps my expectations were raised; I'd just read a 5 star book, and the South African setting, theme of racial inequality, and a female tribal protagonist is, to all intents and purpose, the premise for a perfect read for me personally.

I just found it generally to be somewhat disappointing. I never really felt I truly empathised with the two young characters of Koba and Mannie until the final 50 pages or so.

The careless editing also affected my enjoyment. Glaring errors such as the laws preventing inter-racial sexual relations being referred to as "the immortality act" and birds lowering their "tales" made an already less than engaging read even harder to appreciate.

Perhaps at another time this book and I could have been better friends. Shame really...

[Zara Connelly]

I genuinely could not stop listening to Salt & Honey; Koba’s story completely pulled me in.

What fascinated me about Koba’s story is the way her traditional world exists alongside a changing South Africa. Martha has given her a protected space in the cave where she is able to practise her traditions freely, almost shielding her from some of the racism and prejudice happening outside. I love seeing how this mixture of cultures, traditions and history is woven into her life.

As a person of colour living in a more liberated society, it is horrific to hear about the injustices people endured in the past. Koba is incredibly fortunate to have Martha and Deon, who accept her as their own daughter without taking away from her traditional way of life. I love that they give her the space to remain connected to her culture and identity while still making her feel completely part of their family.

Koba is still deeply connected to her Ju/’hoan traditions, while Mannie is an Afrikaner boy growing up in apartheid South Africa. What I find so beautiful is how naturally their feelings develop despite coming from two completely different worlds. The love they share feels simple and genuine, yet the society surrounding them turns something so pure into something considered forbidden and should be punished.

This story ends on a bittersweet note as they are eventually freed from the laws making their love forbidden but at the expense of being keeping their lives apart.

The story is written so beautifully, and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the Bushman people and their traditions, as Koba herself refers to her people in the book.



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — 4.5/5 stars

[Nick Shears]

Exquisitely African, exquisitely written.

The interwoven stories of Koba, a San girl and Mannie, an Afrikaner farm boy, in apartheid-era South Africa.
Candi Miller tells their stories and those of their families with great skill, letting us learn about people through what they do and don’t do. I’m desperate to read the second (Kalahari Passage) in what I hope will be a long series.

[Pat Morris-jones]

Another book club book that I would never have picked up but glad I did. Excellent story. Simple, as are the best stories methinks, with moral integrity. Loved it.

[Alan]

Good books open one’s eyes, as much to the future as to the past. Candi Miller’s ‘Salt and Honey’ does exactly that. Here are four good reasons to read it today.

First, it is an absorbing bildungsromans and love story, with a fascinating protagonist. Koba is a San girl, forcibly transplanted from the Namib desert into the Afrikaner bushveld adjacent to the Kruger National Park. Torn between the old and the new, her decisions about who she is ripple across society and impact everyone who cares about her.

Second, you are exposed to the San. The San are amongst the purest descendants on earth of our oldest common ancestors, utterly isolated until relatively recently from the rest of our species for perhaps 100,000 years. Modern society - with its industrialisation, abundance, racism and social stratification - is properly weird to the San. The San culture, in this book, feels authentic - it is certainly seems as strange, to this European, as any off-world society described by someone like Ursula Le Guin.

Third, it is precisely set within that very strange society that was Southern Africa in the 50s and 60s. Like Andre Brink, Miller captures the experience of members of the ruling class discovering how their democratic, Christian society bureaucratically dehumanised all those whose skin colour, beliefs, lives and loves were at variance with its White ethno-nationalism.

Fourth, it is an efficiently executed, complex, multi-viewpoint narrative in which the character arcs of even the most minor characters are both believable and effective in advancing the plot.

And it’s a good read - like many a well-told story, it gets the job done in just over 200 pages - so you can consume it whole in a single sitting. It will, though, consume your thoughts for much longer!

[Jaffareadstoo]

This is an interesting coming of age story during a difficult time in South Africa’s history. It tells of the forbidden relationship between Koba, an indigenous girl who lives alone and Mannie, an Afrikaner teenage boy, whose family were responsible for the loss of Koba’s family. This is a fascinating book to listen to as the beautiful narration by John Matthew really enhances the story in a special way however, it is in the troubled landscape, and the friendship between Kobe and Mannie where the true power of the story lies.

The story flows well, the pacing of the narrative kept my attention and with a clear and expressive narrator the story came to life. I could feel the tension in the atmosphere and was fascinated by Kobe’s deep attachment to the land and the ancient culture of her people. This was a very different time and the writing reflects that and doesn’t shy away from explaining the brutality of apartheid and the harsh consequences of living during this difficult time in South African history.

Coming in at around 7 hours the audio book is managed in easily listening chunks and with a good narrator this was an interesting and informative book which brought Koba and Mannie’s story to life in a meaningful way.

[S. Fairbank]

This story of a South African family and how their lives are changed by the adoption of a black bushgirl is a fascinating and informed study of South Africa in the mid-20th century, and the apartheid system that went unchallenged in those times. The story is told in lit fiction prose that is rich in detail without being too convoluted.

Miller draws the white characters who represent a wide range of attitudes towards the racism of the times in great detail, particularly the parents who find themselves in the middle of a harrowing situation when their son and the girl fall in love with each other as teenagers.

But it is the central character of Koba that will stay with you. Her resilience and strength in dealing with the tragedy of her separation from her tribe, and the poise she shows in adapting and excelling in a world ordinarily forbidden to her, is unlike anything I've encountered in literature.

If you're like me you will have the second book of this series in your cart before you're half finished with this first one. A fine and unique read!

[tinalouisereadsbooks]

In a southern Africa violently split during Aparteid, Koba is taken away from her Kalahari desert tribe after witnessing her parents being murdered by a party of white hunters. She slowly learns to adapt and survive in a dangerous but beautiful environment. However she is plagued by the knowledge that unless she leaves thoses who have grown to love her, she faces exile from her own people. The only answer may be to risk all through the brutal laws that condemn her.

My Thoughts:

This book is for this months book group. Again it is one that I haven’t finished because I just didn’t connect with it. I didn’t like the plot, the story, the characters, nothing. I really didn’t like anything about this book at all, and with so many books sitting on my shelf TBR, then I will give up and start another.

[Staceywh_17]

Salt & Honey is the first in the Koba and Mannie books, the second being Kalahari Passage which I'm now looking forward to immensely.

It took a chapter or so to became fully immersed into the story, but when I did, boy what a listen it was!

The story is a powerful listen and a coming of age story unlike any other I've read or listened to.

Koba and Mannie were wonderful characters and I liked how these two culturally different children were brought together and became firm friends in Apartheid South Africa.

I enjoyed the listen and found the narration truly conveyed the tension and desperation of Koba's harrowing story.

[Deviki]

****Got this book from KL exchange book club****


Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.

Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes

[Aashna]

I need to get my hands on the sequel. I also need to read more about the apartheid.
It's sad how underrated this book is, I would possibly never hear of it if I hadn't picked it up by chance at a college book exchange event. 4.8, honestly didn't expect this book to touch me the way that it did.

[Kathy]

Very engaging book with the main female character being a Bushman or San person. I have not read other books of historical fiction for adults that treat these people as other than caricatures. I found this book very moving and was eager to buy the next book in the series, which I did.

[Valda M]

I loved this book. The characters were interesting and believable. It was great to follow the storyline and I felt transported to Africa. It was good to have the glossary and try to “learn” new words - don’t think my pronunciation would be anything as it really sounds!

[Lisa Culligan]

Loved it 🙂

[Kim Murphy]

Read for book club. I absolutely wouldn't have picked this up off my own back but really glad I did

[AJ Stoner]

A real change of pace for me. At first I struggled with it being so different culturally but then as I got into it, I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the sequel.

[Sharon Green]

This novel isn't my usual genre, I tend to read fantasy and crime novels, but once I had got into it I found myself becoming increasingly engrossed and finished it in a few sessions.
Salt and Honey tells the story of two children from very different racial and cultural backgrounds growing up in the challenging environment of Southern Africa in the mid twentieth century. The writing is beautifully descriptive bringing to life the characters, their relationships and the scenery. I found it a really interesting read it and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Can't wait to find out more about Koba's journey.

[Sharon Green]

This novel isn't my usual genre, I tend to read fantasy and crime novels, but once I had got into it I found myself becoming increasingly engrossed and finished it in a few sessions.
Salt and Honey tells the story of two children from very different racial and cultural backgrounds growing up in the challenging environment of Southern Africa in the mid twentieth century. The writing is beautifully descriptive bringing to life the characters, their relationships and the scenery. I found it a really interesting read it and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Can't wait to find out more about Koba's journey.
Proceeds from this book are supporting the Village Schools feeding scheme which helps to feed the children attending the Nyae Nyae Village schools in Namibia.

[Ali Pickard]

This is both a large and small story , working on the level of a specific time and place in apartheid South Africa, and also as a personal evocative lyrical story between two young people growing up. The character of Koba is especially well written, draws you in, and keeps you wanting to know what happens right to the end of the book. Not only an interesting story, but purchase of the book goes towards helping the Village Schools feeding scheme Namibia, which gives education access to some of the world's most marginalised children.

[Mpumi Sithole]

This book is set under the apartheid era where interaction between races is regulated by the laws governing the country. It is a story of loss, hope, belonging and forbidden love. Candi Miller paints a picture through her story telling and transports you to a world that was.

A tragic event has brought the Marais to take in Koba a young girl who lost her parents as a result of a hunting trip gone bad. Marta Marais raised Koba as her own daughter while she learns the way of the "whites".

Martha's son Mannie and Koba grow very close to each and between them a teenage friendship develops. They share each others culture and trade special needs- salt for honey.

Very interesting read, the story is captivating.

[Paul McQueen]

This is a powerful and deeply affecting novel that immerses readers in the stark, complex realities of 1950s apartheid South Africa. Miller's writing is lyrical yet unflinching, capturing both the beauty of the Kalahari and the brutality of a world divided by racial injustice. The protagonist, Koba, is a compelling, resilient character whose journey reflects the strength and struggles of her people, the San. Miller deftly balances personal and political themes, making Koba’s story feel both intimate and universally significant. This is a moving exploration of identity, resilience, and forbidden love that resonates long after the final page. Perfect for readers drawn to historical fiction with emotional depth and cultural insight.

[Stuart Simpson]

I know Candi as she has been a lecturer of mine at Wolverhampton University. This book was inspiring and with such a real feeling. Lovely book by a lovely lady.

[Jane]

I know Candi, she taught my daughter Creative and Professional Writing. Loved the first, loved the second, now can't wait for the next!

[Jennifer]

An enjoyable read with interesting issues raised sensitively.

[windy]

Nice idea, but characters didn't feel believable.

[Wendy]

To follow

[Lou]

An easy read with some solid messages about apartheid