“When I was with Delia and the other popular girls, we never stopped talking. We discussed fashion and boys, and gossiped about other students including Lottie. We talked to pass the time. Life’s heavy loads – trouble with our parents, confusion at our changing bodies, life and death, and the pain of being stuck in the narrow space between white and black – those subjects were left unspoken. It’s different with Lottie. When we speak, the words have meaning, and when we are silent, the lack of words has meaning also. I don’t understand how the sounds and the silences balance out between us, only that they do.”

The 60’s in the British Protectorate of Swaziland: In Keziah Christian Academy, a missionary boarding school for mixed-race students, Adele, a “nice” and well-behaved young woman, is downgraded from the “pretties’” room, a room where only the richest girls sleep. The school is ruled by money. Those students who pay full tuition get prime treatment. Adele pays full tuition, but her place is taken by Sandi Cardoza, a new student whose father donated a new generator for the school. Adele is downgraded because her mother is not married to her father, a white engineer from South Africa that has another family but visits occasionally and pays the bills. Adele is placed with Lottie, a poor student who never follows the rules, where they soon realize they have more in common than they thought and develop a strong friendship.

Even though When the Ground is Hard is a Young Adult novel, Nunn portrays the harsh reality of imperialism. Although the characters never wander too far from the school grounds, we can see the horrific hierarchies created by the imperial system in everything they do. Being mixed-race, the students from Keziah are above black people, but well below white people. There are rules for every interaction. The clash between Christianity and Native beliefs is also always present. Christianity takes them closer to whiteness, but still, their millenary beliefs are so engraved in their culture that they cannot avoid them.

Besides the imperial relations portrayed by Nunn, another really interesting issue dealt in this novel is the relationship between teenagers and how difficult this phase of life can be, the social pressure, the importance of having one’s family support and what young people are sometimes capable of just to belong.

The story is based on Nunn’s mother’s personal experience, which makes it even more interesting. The plot is fast but never rushed and it is beautiful to see how the strong relationship between Adele and Lottie develops.  I definitely recommend this book, and it is a perfect gift for teenagers so they can start exploring narratives and stories from all around the world.

About Malla Nunn

Malla Nunn was born in Swaziland (now Eswatini). With her family, she emigrated to Australia where she studied English and History. Besides writing novels, Nunn is a screenwriter and director. Her documentary Servant of the Ancestors won Best Documentary in the Zanzibar Film Festival.

Other books written by Swazi women:

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Swazi initiatives and projects that support and empower girls and women

Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse

Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) is an NGO that has been working to end gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking in Eswatini for almost 30 years. Their strategy follows three areas: Prevention, Care and Support and Access to Justice. Among their programs are a school-based Girls Empowerment and Boys for Change clubs challenge harmful gender norms in Eswatini, to foster a culture of equality and equity.