Bitter Fruit

Bitter Fruit is a contemporary novel by Achmat Dangor. Set in South Africa during the late 1990s, it tells the story of a family in limbo after the breakdown of apartheid, or the authoritative political culture of white supremacy. The book was first published in 2001 by Kwela Books, and more recently by Grove Press. In 2004, Bitter Fruit was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. The book has received widespread critical acclaim and praise for its treatment of South African political history, and the long-term effects of an oppressive governmental regime.

The protagonist is Silas Ali, a prominent lawyer in Johannesburg. He rose through the ranks during Nelson Mandela’s presidency, and even occasionally appears on television beside him. Silas works as a liaison officer for the government in its dealings with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—a court established at the end of apartheid to deal with human rights violations and public hearings. Once, however, Silas worked for the resistance against white supremacy, which put his own life and his family’s lives in danger. He never talks about his experiences.

Silas is married to Lydia, a local nurse. They share a secret—Lydia was raped by a policeman in the 1970s because of Silas’s connection to the resistance. They never speak of it and try to pretend it didn’t happen. They have a sexless, cold marriage, having never recovered from what happened to her. Silas is a poor communicator and never tries to get close to his wife again or explore his own feelings. But, worse than this, Lydia believes the policeman is the real father of her son, Michael, who currently studies literature at university. She keeps this to herself for fear of the damage it would do to her family.



One morning, Silas spots the policeman, FranÒ«ois, at a local shopping mall. He learns that FranÒ«ois intends to apply to the Commission for amnesty from numerous sexual assaults, including the rape of Lydia. Silas tells Lydia, who reacts badly. She hurts herself as the stress becomes too much for her, and she’s hospitalized after dancing over broken glass and suffering numerous wounds.

Meanwhile, Silas still avoids talking about Lydia’s rape. He wants to pretend it didn’t happen, and he chooses to stay optimistic about his country’s future. He directs his energy into working as a liaising officer of the government. Lydia, however, clings more tightly to her son and becomes aggressive towards Silas, whom she secretly resents for not protecting her. Things only get worse as Lydia drifts away from Silas. She gets a new job and quits nursing, but she isn’t satisfied with the change or her life.

Meanwhile, President Mandela is about to resign, and Silas loses his job. He doesn’t talk about how it makes him feel and still doesn’t try to get closer to his family again. He considers moving to Europe. Lydia sleeps with another man at Silas’s birthday party, and she decides it’s time to find a new life elsewhere. She leaves town and doesn’t plan on returning.



Michael, however, suffers the hardest of the family. Silas and Lydia never told him about the rape because they wanted to protect him from the details—and protect themselves from talking about it. Michael only learns of the attack when he reads Lydia’s diary. He feels betrayed and angry and helpless. He struggles to process the truth and starts sleeping around with multiple women. Michael’s motive is mainly to extract information about FranÒ«ois, so he targets specific women. On one occasion, he even steals a gun.

More than anything, it seems Michael wants Lydia to be wrong, and for there to have never been a rape. He looks for information on his relatives to see if he can distract himself by learning about his ancestry. He discovers that his paternal grandparents were Muslim—Silas is not. Michael then seeks solace in his late grandfather’s mosque, to feel closer to family. He is drawn into a fundamentalist Islamic circle and becomes increasingly violent.

Ultimately, Michael decides someone needs to take responsibility for what happened to Lydia. At the same time, he discovers that his grandfather once personally avenged his own sister’s rape. Michael believes this is what he, too, should do, but he doesn’t kill FranÒ«ois yet. He is pushed over the edge when he discovers that one of his childhood friends is forced to sleep with her own father. Michael decides, then, to avenge these women. He kills the incestuous father, then kills FranÒ«ois before leaving South Africa behind. He travels to India, looking for safety, sanctuary, and a new life for himself.



Bitter Fruit ends on a somewhat sad note, as it seems clear that the Ali family will never be reunited. The long-term consequences of the apartheid are very clear throughout; no amount of vengeance healed anything.