My Review (5 stars out of 5)
In 1950s South Africa, Koba’s tribe are hunter-gatherers, following the traditional ways of life of an ancient culture. But when her family clashes with a group of white people, the outcome is tragic, leaving her orphaned. Taken to their home, the girl grudgingly learns to speak their language while passing on her own skills learned in the bush. But then she begins to fall in love…
This is book one in the Koba series and the first I’ve encountered by this author. From the start, the book is beautifully written, with well-drawn characters who leap from the page. The sounds and sights of South Africa come to life like an epic movie, each new chapter effortlessly captivating the reader. The author’s use of language is rich and authentic and stunningly recreated by narrator John Maytham. Young Mannie’s relationship with Koba is difficult from the start – he resents the attention she gets from his mother, and she refers to him a frog-boy. But Mannie’s mother Marta is determined to teach the girl something of her own skills, as well as endeavouring to allow Koba to live in a way that will not rob her of her culture and beliefs. The loves story, when it happens, seems doomed to fail because of apartheid Africa’s ridiculous laws, and the attitudes of the police and their senseless brutality is at times hard to listen to. Nevertheless, this is an enchanting and thoroughly absorbing tale.
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Author biography
Candi Miller was born in southern Africa and has spent decades researching the first people of the region, a group who feature in the novel. She loves to tell the many unique and exciting experiences she’s had in the bush and around campfires. She taught creative writing in the UK where she now lives. She is republishing her novels to support a school feeding scheme for marginalised children which she co-founded in 2017.
Social Media Links
Link to the first chapter of the sequel, free to read.
NB This post first appeared as part of the Blog Tour for Salt and Honey, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources.
Colin Garrow 
What happened to the San people of Southern Africa is a terrible tragedy. Their pure bloodline goes back over 10,000 years in these regions. I have visited the San museum where a huge effort is being made to preserve their heritage and stories. They were hunted and killed by the Bantu people as well as the whites. This book sounds very evocative so I’ll have to think about whether I can manage to read it. I have a great fondness for the San.
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I’m sure you know a lot more about this than I do, Robbie – anyway, it’s an excellent book.
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💓🌸
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