In Time For Christmas by Nathan Van Der Berg

TBBManiacSian
Apr 4, 2017
2 min read

In Time for Christmas

Jake Mitchell is a driven student with little regard for apartheid laws. In spite of this he has an overwhelming fear for the security forces. His resolve is tested when he falls in love across the race barrier with the neighbour’s daughter, Lana.

The consequences are dire for Jake and his family, as they suffer emotional turmoil at a time when the apartheid regime is at it’s height in South Africa. This heart-rending story is testament to how the human will can be stronger than the difficult circumstances that surrounds it and the healing power of forgiveness. This is not just a book about apartheid - it’s an anthology of how the lives of millions of South Africans were affected by this dark period in the history of our country.

Firstly the quality of this book was excellent! It felt great in my hands; the printing was easy to read even when I forgot my glasses at home. Kwarts publishers really do impress me with the quality of their books.

Now the story. Nathan Van Der Berg is certainly a talented author who has a great command of words. I could feel the story as I read it and found that the story certainly struck many chords for me. As a younger generation white South African; I was taught about Apartheid in school and I have certainly heard many first-hand accounts of what it was like from a lot of my co-workers; teachers and friends however this was a different side for me because all the accounts I have heard were based in or around the Johannesburg area. I don’t have any friends from the Western Cape so it was interesting to see the differences in experiences between what my friends went through and what happened in the Western Cape.

This story is more than a story about Apartheid. This is a story about development; crossing barriers; standing united; and accomplishing more in life despite the obstacles you may face. The story itself is wonderful and progresses very nicely.

The thing I didn’t like about the book was that there were a lot of parts that just didn’t sit right with me. Sections that I feel could have been more expanded on and sections I feel were too drawn out. The characters were absolutely lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Jake and how he did everything with an unquenchable passion. I didn’t really enjoy the way the book ended. I felt that it was a bit dull but overall the book is worth a read.

Review Rating: 3/5

More Information:

Published By: Kwarts Publishers

Published Date: October 25, 2016

Genre: Literature / Fiction