Troy Blacklaws's follow-up to his internationally acclaimed Karoo
Boy is the bittersweet tale of a South African boy coming of age during
apartheid
Gecko's childhood is one of sheltered, almost magical innocence on a
farm in Natal. He spends his days taking barefoot expeditions with his
dogs and his nights listening to Springbok Radio, unaware of the cruel
force in his life that apartheid will soon become. With the start of
high school in the Cape, Gecko is thrust into a political and personal
awakening that is both tragic and heartfelt. With conscription into the
South African army looming over him, Gecko's future is as uncertain as
his country's. Blood Orange evokes the absurdity, longing, and fear of
growing up white in the last decades of apartheid.