FOR most people, a quest for a better life means escaping the confines of poverty and all restrictions associated with it. However, Tembikile Faku’s journey leads him anywhere but to a better life.
This is the synopsis to Chasing the Wind, Elwyn Bonhomme’s debut novel which was launched on Sunday, 25 August at South Africa in the Making at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The Treasure Beach resident said he always had the desire to write, but after being confined to bed after an operation, to ward off the boredom, the novel started to unfold. “Tembikile Faku’s quest for a better life drags him through a world of poverty, discrimination, racial abuse, adultery, deceit, hatred, violence, freedom fighting, resistance, enduring friendship, and redemption,” said Elwyn.
The retired Charles Hugo Primary School principal wrote during quiet moments in the afternoons, for about an hour and a half and completing the novel took about a year. “It may sound a cliché, but once the characters began taking on a life of their own, the narrative took over. “Some of the book is based on personal experience, but the bulk comes from my study of history and my imagination and the last few chapters will take readers to a least expected place,” he said.
Elwyn who was born in Overport in 1946 is one of 11 children. After the removal of the Group Areas Act, his family relocated to Greenwood Park, Durban in 1962. His next book is inspired by the forced removals act and the effect it had on humans. He has been married to Frances for 52 years and they have two daughters, a son and six grandchildren.
The title Chasing the Wind is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 in the Bible. And why should you get his debut book? “It’s a thought-provoking narrative that will linger in the mind of the reader long after the last page has been turned,” said Elwyn. For more information, call Elwyn on 082-464-0132.
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