Trilby Kent,
Stones for my Father
Tundra Books, 2011.

Rating: E

Stones for my Father tells the story of the courage and resilience of Corlie and her friend, Sipho,during the Boer War, 1899-1902 and their struggle to hold onto family and friends despite the collapse of the world they knew due to the attack of British soldiers on them. Corlie’s father died fighting for the freedom of the Boers, leaving his wife and three children to fend for themselves, the same fate held by so many during the conflict. The added tragedy for Corlie is that her mother treats her sons well, while being very cruel and harsh with her daughter.

When British soldiers are on the verge of burning the farm, its occupants and its animals, Corlie’s family, along with others, flee to find the lagger, a wagon train of other Boer families who attempt to flee the British and stay out of harm’s way on the land. During their flight, Corlie, and her brother, Gert, literally run into Corporal Byrne, a Canadian Mounted Policeman who is fighting for the British. Corlie is unaware of the important roll this soldier will play in her future when the lagger is attacked by the British and she becomes a prisoner of war. Her friend, Sipho, kills a British soldier and is killed in return. It is during the attack that Corlie learns the father she always loved and admired was not her biological father, and that she is, in fact, the daughter of a British soldier - her mother’s lover who left her alone, pregnant, and hostile.

The story is well written, poignant, and defines strength of character in both Corlie and Corporal Byrne as well as in Sipho. While the topic of the novel may not be found in current curriculum, the power of the story lies in its characters. As a novel study, this story would satisfy character study and the effect of the Human Condition on decisions made. Because the genre of the novel is historical fiction, there may be a narrow audience following for recreational reading, but would certainly provide an outstanding choice for literature study groups.

Thematic Links: The Boer War; South Africa - History; Historical Fiction

Sharon Armstrong
Vol. 16, number 5
June 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.