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The Rainbow Has No Pink
The grandson of a prominent apartheid military doctor is kidnapped and murdered. The severed testicles of the grandson are sent to the grandfather as a message—a message that reminds the retired doctor of his past involvement at 1 Military Hospital. The body of a transsexual man is found, shot through the head execution style, on a deserted beach in Port Elizabeth. A transsexual woman is found mutilated and near death in her high-security flat in Hatfield, Pretoria.
Ayesha Mansoor is an investigator for the Special Investigations Unit, a high-profile crime-fighting unit whose task it is to investigate significant cases. When Ayesha gets an early morning phone call from the Director of the Unit to come to a gruesome crime scene in Hatfield, nothing prepares Ayesha for returning to her role as a lead investigator in the job that cost her her marriage. The plot ends in a tragic twist which reflects the current state of South Africa, its legal system and our views on what constitutes a victim. A tale of revenge, acceptance, pain and weight of expectance from our families and society. This book is loosely based on alleged transgender operations that took place under the former South African Defence Force from the 1970s to the mid 1980s.
Ayesha Mansoor is an investigator for the Special Investigations Unit, a high-profile crime-fighting unit whose task it is to investigate significant cases. When Ayesha gets an early morning phone call from the Director of the Unit to come to a gruesome crime scene in Hatfield, nothing prepares Ayesha for returning to her role as a lead investigator in the job that cost her her marriage. The plot ends in a tragic twist which reflects the current state of South Africa, its legal system and our views on what constitutes a victim. A tale of revenge, acceptance, pain and weight of expectance from our families and society. This book is loosely based on alleged transgender operations that took place under the former South African Defence Force from the 1970s to the mid 1980s.
261 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 8, 2010
I was intrigued when I read the back of this book and it said "The Rainbow Has No Pink will … leave readers gasping till the final page, all the while desperately praying that the story is not based on actual events".
And it was only once I had read it that I realised exactly what that sentence meant.
Ayesha Mansoor is a senior investigator for the special crimes unit.
She struggles to come to terms with the fact that despite having a successful career, her personal life has fallen apart and she has to pick up the pieces, get on with her job and try to keep her family happy.
At the same time she is handed a case that takes the concept of a hate crime to a new level, even for her.
The violence is unprecedented, the destruction of lives mind-boggling. Transsexual executions, mutilations, assassinations - this story is filled with grim deeds.
Add to this the political duplicity that Ayesha encounters as she uncovers the truths behind this case, and it is inevitable that this case will change her life forever.
Hamish Hoosen Pillay's The Rainbow Has No Pink is an extremely unsettling novel, but it is a story that needs to be told.
I had to ask how much of this story was fact and how much fiction. Pillay's response: "A lot of the book is based on actual events that took place. Most of the places I mention in the book were actual places that existed for the purposes I mention in the book. A place like Greefswald was a camp which existed for the purposes of punishing conscripts who didn't meet the standards set by the former SADF."
The issues brought up in this book are relevant and topical - they are a damning exposé of 1980's apartheid South Africa.
While I strongly believe that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was necessary and an extremely valuable exercise for many South Africans, I am not deluded into believing that it even covered the tip of the iceberg that constitutes the atrocities perpetrated in the name of and against apartheid.
This book tackles these very issues. Pillay says: "I think there are many events that took place during those (apartheid) years that many South Africans are still not aware of. I wanted to make as many people aware of them through the vehicle of my novel."
This novel tells an uncomfortable story and it may be a little too close to home for many South Africans and for very different reasons. For some it is a reminder of a dark past and actions they would rather forget; for others it is a reminder of all the "ones that got away". I wasn't sure many South Africans were ready to hear this story.
But Pillay's response was: "I think we want to believe apartheid is over with, but in reality it will take a long time before we can say we're really over it. I think there is still a lot of cleaning up to do in terms of dealing with all victims of our past."
I have tried not to give away too much of this novel in my review and hence, it appears a bit disjointed. But this novel can only be appreciated if it is read (on condition you are prepared to confront a few unsettling and ugly truths).
The novel ends in a tragic twist and leaves us questioning what really constitutes a victim.
The Rainbow Has No Pink was the deserved winner of the 2008 Citizen Book Prize and I have to say it is one of the best books I read last year.
And it was only once I had read it that I realised exactly what that sentence meant.
Ayesha Mansoor is a senior investigator for the special crimes unit.
She struggles to come to terms with the fact that despite having a successful career, her personal life has fallen apart and she has to pick up the pieces, get on with her job and try to keep her family happy.
At the same time she is handed a case that takes the concept of a hate crime to a new level, even for her.
The violence is unprecedented, the destruction of lives mind-boggling. Transsexual executions, mutilations, assassinations - this story is filled with grim deeds.
Add to this the political duplicity that Ayesha encounters as she uncovers the truths behind this case, and it is inevitable that this case will change her life forever.
Hamish Hoosen Pillay's The Rainbow Has No Pink is an extremely unsettling novel, but it is a story that needs to be told.
I had to ask how much of this story was fact and how much fiction. Pillay's response: "A lot of the book is based on actual events that took place. Most of the places I mention in the book were actual places that existed for the purposes I mention in the book. A place like Greefswald was a camp which existed for the purposes of punishing conscripts who didn't meet the standards set by the former SADF."
The issues brought up in this book are relevant and topical - they are a damning exposé of 1980's apartheid South Africa.
While I strongly believe that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was necessary and an extremely valuable exercise for many South Africans, I am not deluded into believing that it even covered the tip of the iceberg that constitutes the atrocities perpetrated in the name of and against apartheid.
This book tackles these very issues. Pillay says: "I think there are many events that took place during those (apartheid) years that many South Africans are still not aware of. I wanted to make as many people aware of them through the vehicle of my novel."
This novel tells an uncomfortable story and it may be a little too close to home for many South Africans and for very different reasons. For some it is a reminder of a dark past and actions they would rather forget; for others it is a reminder of all the "ones that got away". I wasn't sure many South Africans were ready to hear this story.
But Pillay's response was: "I think we want to believe apartheid is over with, but in reality it will take a long time before we can say we're really over it. I think there is still a lot of cleaning up to do in terms of dealing with all victims of our past."
I have tried not to give away too much of this novel in my review and hence, it appears a bit disjointed. But this novel can only be appreciated if it is read (on condition you are prepared to confront a few unsettling and ugly truths).
The novel ends in a tragic twist and leaves us questioning what really constitutes a victim.
The Rainbow Has No Pink was the deserved winner of the 2008 Citizen Book Prize and I have to say it is one of the best books I read last year.
January 19, 2011
fascinating and disturbing book
wonder if any of it is based on reality - am afraid to think perhaps.
horrible to think about
hard to put down
wonder if any of it is based on reality - am afraid to think perhaps.
horrible to think about
hard to put down
May 29, 2018
This was my book for Book 21. A book with your favourite colour in the title
I have very mixed emotions after reading this book. It really is gripping and i read it quickly - facts that usually mean a book is great.
But i also felt that there were huge problems with the book, not least the seeming understanding of the author of gender and gender identity.
I don't want to include a spoiler but often I was left thinking 'um, i don't think that's quite how it works.'
There was also a lot of really graphic violence which I am not sure was really necessary.
As a South African this book makes me very uncomfortable because, for all the 'surely nots' I thought I have to admit that pretty much every single thing could (and possibly even did) happen.
So, ja - this book leaves me discombobulated
I have very mixed emotions after reading this book. It really is gripping and i read it quickly - facts that usually mean a book is great.
But i also felt that there were huge problems with the book, not least the seeming understanding of the author of gender and gender identity.
I don't want to include a spoiler but often I was left thinking 'um, i don't think that's quite how it works.'
There was also a lot of really graphic violence which I am not sure was really necessary.
As a South African this book makes me very uncomfortable because, for all the 'surely nots' I thought I have to admit that pretty much every single thing could (and possibly even did) happen.
So, ja - this book leaves me discombobulated
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews