Böcker av Robert Dewar

The story's central character grows up in Cape Town during the 1960s, and he comes to manhood in the 1970s: these were years of tremendous political, social and cultural significance in South Africa, and they do not leave him unaffected.

A love story is set against the dramatic backdrop of hugely significant political and social events in South Africa. 1976 was a watershed year in South Africa's history, when the Soweto Uprising saw the outbreak of violence and racial unrest across the country, including Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula.

When Englishman Michael Hood receives an invitation to visit his old school friend's farming estate in Equatoria, British East Africa, at the start of 1960, he can hardly imagine the beauty and allure of the region he will come to know during repeated lengthy stays, nor the excitement, drama and tragedy which will mark his visits.

Hemispheres (a sequel to Mallaig Road, published January 2022) charts the story of Alexander Maclean's adult life, and spans a period of more than forty years, from 1976 to 2021. Alexander, born in British colonial Africa and brought up in the South Africa of the 1960s, spends half a lifetime striving to flee his demons. Ever restless, he travels back and forth between South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Far East, as he battles to escape the grip of alcoholism. In the process, however, Alexander has some extraordinary adventures, and several near miraculous escapes from death.This contemporary morality tale is above all the story of Alexander's triumph over alcoholism, and of his deliverance from his demons. In a land far from Africa, Alexander at last finds enduring peace, love and contentment.