The Rattle of Seeds

Set against the political turmoil of Southern Africa in the mid 1900s, The Rattle of Seeds tells the story of two young men. Martin, a product of colonial Africa, qualifies as a physician. He is intelligent and deeply sensitive - even a little tortured. He struggles with relationships and lacks self-esteem. Mandla, a Swazi, grows up in a traditional, rural homestead. He is streetwise, confident and promiscuous. Constrained by their very different cultural backgrounds, this is their journey from boyhood to manhood. Both face tragedy. The Rattle of Seeds reveals their hopes and dreams for the future, their loves, their setbacks and successes, as they forge an unlikely, but deeply meaningful friendship, and grow in self-awareness and maturity. Told in a simple, direct narrative style, the balanced and sensitive handling of Martin's and Mandla's development obliges the reader to question the value of much of our received Western wisdom. Moreover, it takes us on a voyage of discovery of what we might usefully learn from another culture.