Rootbound

An absent father dies. Home is no longer so homely. And yet, wherever you go, you cannot escape yourself. Manthipe Moila’s captivating debut follows a young woman as she finds her place between the blossoming South Africa of her past and the blustery South Korea of her present. How does one grow in a new place, in a new language? Is it possible to grow new roots, or does pain forever bind us to the past? Drawing on the botanical environment – as well as a self-made jungle of houseplants – Moila meditates on memory and loss, the thrills of exploration, and the journey of becoming. A fresh, inventive and essential new voice in South African literature.