A title by a South African artist that deals with the ties that bind and divide families. Kitchen casualties traces the lives of four generations of women, and the effect that a terrible secret has on them, their development and their relationships with one another and their children. The story unfolds as the main character prepares for her daughter's farewell party. The imminent departure to Scothland of her only child, prompts her to bring a legacy of personal abuse to closure. The action takes place during the course of a day, with numerous flashbacks to the past. It is through these flashbacks and memories that the stories unfold against the backdrop of the kitchen - the heart of the home - where the fragrant smells of home-cooked meals often provide a perfect smokescreen for abuse and denial. Kitchen casualties explores the effects of sexual abuse through the generations within a rich tapestry that is framed by the mists and natural beauty of the Cape coastline and coloured with a richness and texture of experience, interwoven with truth and lies, language and fantasy.

A melancholy tale of tragedy and denial unfolds in this meticulously crafted novel about four generations of women and an unspeakable legacy of sexual abuse. As the only daughter of the family prepares to depart towards an adult life, a series of flashbacks between her and her mother reveals the traumatic secret of their lives and sheds insight into the violation and love that drove their development as individuals and as parts of their family. Their story is conjured up in the kitchen, where the delicious smells of home cooking serve as an exquisite allegory of the diaphanous barrier that the family has constructed between a fantasy world of nurture and love and the unthinkable world of abuse and pain.

Book Information
ISBN 9781919931128
Author Willemien de Villiers
Page Count 212
Imprint Jacana Media
Publisher Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 148mm * 15mm