Wednesday 25 June 2014

Lit Nit Wit; The Girl who Saved The King of Sweden

I think at this stage I have to admit I have an addiction............to Swedish authors...particularly Jonas Jonasson. One of the things I'm most happy about this year is the fact I've read more in this year than in the last 5/6 years, yay!! Now to the book

This book follows the story of Nombeko (I called her November if I'm completely honest....) through her life as a Latrine emptier manager in South Africa as a 12 year old, through being hit by a car and having to work for the driver of said car for the damages she caused to said car, the driver also happens to be an incompetent engineer responsible for something major, oh and by the way Nombeko is a mathematical genius and basically does her bosses job as she cleans. How does she end up saving the King of Sweden you ask, well its a long story, in fact this story follows her basically her whole life. What was interesting was the mention of the politicians in power at the time of the story. i.e. when Nombeko is working as a cleaner B.J Vorster is the prime minister of south Africa and Jonasson writes about Vorsters opinions on things such as Mandela (he considered Mandela a terrorist) and about apartheid (in the bible there is a passage where man try to build a tower to heaven  so god decides to create different languages and separates the men, and that was how Vorster advocates apartheid) which I found very insightful.

These Swedish books do not disappoint, perhaps there is a tad bit TOO  much political references, but overall I found this book funny and at times absolutely gripping. definitely a good holiday read if you are heading on one soon.

Have you any book recommendations??

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