In this uniquely structured novel, the interwoven stories of a woman and her great-grandmother in Cape Town, South Africa are artfully combined with a built-in workbook meant to teach creative autobiographical writing. The protagonist Anna gains an understanding and acceptance of herself by researching and writing the story of her grandmother Maria, while readers will employ the device of the workbook to embark upon their own journeys of personal expression and exploration. Though the story explores gender, sexuality, morality, and colonialism in Maria's historical Cape Town, it also offers gentle, smoothly-crafted, and insightful reflections, meant to transform the life of the reader as a parallel to Anna's own growing confidence, skill, and courage as she connects to her past.

Anne Schuster is the author of The Time of the Stilted People and coauthor of Classification Pending. She teaches creative writing in Cape Town, South Africa.