In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, there is a tragedy in the house next door to Lindiwe Bishop--her neighbor has been burned alive. The victim's stepson, Ian McKenzie, is the prime suspect but is soon released. Lindiwe can't hide her fascination with this young, boisterous and mysterious white man, and they soon forge an unlikely closeness even as the country starts to deteriorate. Years after circumstances split them apart, Ian returns to a much-changed Zimbabwe to see Lindiwe, now a sophisticated, impassioned young woman, and discovers a devastating secret that will alter both of their futures, and draw them closer together even as the world seems bent on keeping them apart. The Boy Next Door is a moving and powerful debut about two people finding themselves and each other in a time of national upheaval. Before reading this novel, I knew absolutely nothing about the transition Zimbabwe experienced when it went from Rhodesia to the name we know it as now. I also knew close to nothing about the racial tension during this transitory period in the country’s history. It is precisely during this time that the novel takes place and follows Zimbabwean Lindiwe and her White neighbor, Ian. What starts as intrigue and fascination leads to much, much more as the characters grow apart and together over and over again. Sabatini’s characters feel real in their awkwardness, and Lindiwe’s heightened awareness of her color when she’s out with Ian provides a vivid picture of what it was like to be part of an interracial couple at that time.A fascinating read, though you should be warned that it is very heavy in Zimbabwean slang and there isn’t a glossary at the end as I had hoped. You can understand most of it from context, but there are definitely moments when the dialogue felt incomprehensible.
What do You think about De Jongen Van Hiernaast (2009)?
Well-written, entertaining and engaging about today's Zimbabwe.
—readonlineteen
2010 -orange prize winner for new writers
—gatitaroski
