Eyes of the sky | General Fiction

Rayda Jacobs

Eyes of the sky is an award-winning novel which portrays the often unnerving encounter at the Cape of Good Hope of settlers of Dutch descent and the indigenous people.

This family saga, set in the 18th century in the desolate interior of the Cape in the vicinity of the Hantam mountains, recounts the history of a white family and their interaction with the local people. Roeloff, the main white character, is given the name Eyes of the Sky by the “strange, dark-skinned little people” because of the colour of his eyes. He is increasingly caught between the two cultures, as is demonstrated in his involvement with two women: Sokho who is wild and dark-skinned, and fair-skinned Neeltje, who is of his own culture, but equally unconventional.

A truly South African historical blockbuster, which was awarded the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English Fiction .