He is the chieftain leader of the Khoikhoi, a nomadic people derogatorily called “Hottentot”’ by European colonists. She is a white woman left behind by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s crew when they rounded Africa’s southern tip in 1498. Their romance is the core of this powerful novella.According to Portuguese myth, Zeus turned Adamastor into the rocky cape of the South African peninsula. Andre Brink’s parable suggests that white Europeans have punished native Africans in the same way. With this novel, Brink takes us to the heart of the relationships that define South Africa’s modern history.“Peter Carey, Garcia Marquez, Solzhenitsyn: Andre Brink must be considered with that class of writer.” —Guardian