Halley's Comet

by Hannes Barnard

In the final years of South Africa’s Apartheid era, an unlikely trio―a sheltered white rugby player, a black farmworker’s son, and an Indian shopkeeper’s daughter―discover the consequences of knowing the truth and having the courage to speak it. Halley’s Comet is the coming-of-age story of Pete de Lange, a white 16-year-old schoolboy, set in small-town South Africa in 1986. Pete lives a relatively sheltered life, primarily concerned with girls and rugby― until one January night changes everything. Thrust together with two complete strangers―Petrus, a black farmworker’s son and Sarita, an Indian shopkeeper’s daughter―the trio find themselves running for their lives from the vicious Rudie, whose actions will ripple far beyond that fateful night. This era-defying friendship―sparked by a shared secret― challenges everything Pete thought he knew and believed. And when anti-Apartheid revolutionaries set their sights on the town, it will change the course of the three young people’s lives forever. Halley’s Comet is a story of friendship, love, change, taking chances, hope, a comet, and some pretty cool 80s music.

Genres: Young Adult

320 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

Hannes Barnard is die jongste van drie broers en die seun van ’n dominee. Tussen 2002 en 2012 is hy woonagtig in Engeland, waar hy meestal as projekbestuurder vir ’n konstruksiemaatskappy werk. Ná dit het hy vir twee jaar in die Seychelle gewerk. Hy en sy vrou keer terug na Suid-Afrika in 2017, waar hy nou voltyds fokus op sy skryfwerk. Halley se komeet is sy debuutroman.

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set during Aparteid, we meet a teenagers all of different races trying to come to terms with the world around them, while coming of age.

I felt the book went on for entirely too long.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was having a little trouble getting into this story, but I'm glad I did finish it. I put it down for when I didn't have so much reading material and restarted it.

A wonderful book from Hannes Barnard, set during Apartheid in South Africa. 3 teens, all from different cultures, living in the same area. On a chance meeting, 2 of them help the 3rd from an act of violence. Despite all that is going on around them in their own communities, they continue to meet up and realize true friendship doesn't see color.
I learned very little about apartheid from school, but I found this to be a wonderful read. Although fiction, it covers a lot of what each culture endured during this time. I would definitely recommend this late middle grade/YA book.

#HannesBarnard #HalleysCommet

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed a lot of things in this book, but for some reason I didn’t completely love it. It made me emotional toward the end, but then the funeral scene felt a bit too on the nose, or maybe just unrealistic. I think it’s a beautiful message though. I loved Pete, Petrus, and Sarita so much. I loved watching Pete’s character development throughout the book. I’m not sure why it didn’t hit the 4 or 5 star rating for me, it just wasn’t quite there.