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My Children Have Faces
It s been fifteen years of hiding for Muis. Now, with the Karoo veld so dry, Kapok, her man, insists on pointing their donkiekarretjie to Leeu Gamka, the one place Muis never wants to see again. Miskiet is waiting for her there and is going to make her pay for what she did. Little Witpop is excited. Town means she can watch television and maybe go to school, while her brother Fansie hopes there will be more food for him and their baby sister, Sponsie. Their return unleashes the devil and has them desperately fleeing. The police can t help if you don t have papers to prove that you were born. Vividly showing the invisible people of the Great Karoo, Carol Campbell s thrilling novel brings the nomadic karretjiemense to life."
144 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 12, 2014
Mamma se ek moet shuddup oor pads en pienk roll-on, want ons het dan nie geld vir meel en suurdeeg nie. So sy kan haar nie worrie oor my gekerm oor simpel goed nie. Ek weet ons vrek van die honger, maar 'n karretjiemeid kan droom. Droom kos niks.
Eerstens wil ek net se Kirby van der Merwe, die vertaler, het 'n ongelooflike job gedoen. Ek kan nie glo hierdie boek is uit Engels vertaal nie. Dis so beautiful geskryf. Tweedens het die karakters so diep in my hart ingekruip - veral Witpop. Ek kan nie onthou wanneer laas ek so vir 'n karakter "gevoel" het nie. Ek het gesnik soos ek huil vir haar, en haar hele gesin se omstandighede. Miskiet is ook 'n verskriklike sterk karakter, en mens weet sommer van die begin af dat jy hier te doen het met 'n psigopaat.
Ek wil nie weer 'n kind begrawe nie. As 'n kind regtag honger is, vir 'n lang tyd honger gely het, dan huil nie die kwaai gehuil van 'n kind wat kos soek nie. Dis so vreemde gehuil, so hahaa-hahaa, dagin en daguit vir dae en dae aaneen. As hy stil raak, dan weet jy hy het opgegee. Dan kyk hy vir jou met ogies wat weet Mamma en Pappa kan nie die pyn wegvat nie.
Die Storie: Vyftien jaar lank kruip Muis al weg. En noudat die Karoo so droog is, wil haar man Kapok hul donkiekarretjie in Leeu-Gamka se rigting draai – die een plek wat Muis nooit weer wil sien nie, want dit is hier waar die wrede Miskiet vir haar wag om haar terug te kry. Klein Witpop is opgewonde. Dalk kan sy nou televisie kyk en skool toe gaan. Haar broer Fansie hoop daar sal meer kos vir hom en hul babasussie Sponsie wees. Maar die duiwel is los in Leeu-Gamka en hulle moet desperaat vlug op hul karretjie. Sonder dokumente wat wys jy bestaan, kan die polisie jou nie veel help nie.
November 1, 2013
I haven't been to the Karoo but with this wonderful novel I could get a sense of how life there is like. Carol Campbell is fantastic in that she paints a picture with words of the atmosphere and characters; with your imagination being the canvas. A masterpiece of a very thrilling, humbling and very heart breaking tale. The story was gripping and the story and characters well engraved in my mind even after not reading it after a few days; IT WAS JUST THAT VIVID!!! I cant wait to read another of her novels.
This book has taught me to count my blessings and never to forget to help and build those who are invisible in society. The little we have can mean a lot to those have nothing.
Thank you Carol Campbell.
This book has taught me to count my blessings and never to forget to help and build those who are invisible in society. The little we have can mean a lot to those have nothing.
Thank you Carol Campbell.
November 17, 2013
"As ons op Oudtshoorn kom, dan kan die kinders vir my sê ek is 'n karretjiemeid, maar ek gaan nie 'n stink ene wees nie."
"Die kleintjie wat dood is, is dood van koors. Maar hier binne weet ek dis Honger wat haar kom vat het. Toe ek haar in die graffie neerlê wat die klong gegrou het, was sy so lig, net 'n geraamtetjie in flenters lap."
" "twee russians en 'n groot tjips," sê hy. "En 'n tweeliter-Coke." Fansie begin agter my te lag toe hy sien wat sy pa maak en Sponsie klap haar handjies."
Wat 'n hartverskeurende verhaal van 'n swerwer gesin in die Karoo. Daar was dele in die boek wat so hartseer was dat ek nie eers kon huil nie. Elke karakter was verskriklik goed gevorm, maar die een wat die diepste in my hart gekruip het was Witpop. Hierdie arme dogtertjie wat se grootste wens is dat sy skoolskoene, pads en pienk roll-on kan kry.
Ek het verskriklik jammer gevoel vir die ma ook wat net vir haar kinders indentiteitsboekies wil kry, sodat hulle kan bestaan.
Ook, so vir arme Fansie wat sy ma en pa se geld moet wegsteek as hulle dronk is om seker te maak dat hulle nie al die geld vir drank gebruik nie.
Ek kan myself dit nie indink om so 'n bestaan te maak nie. Om die heeltyd te moet rondtrek, om nie te weet wanneer jy jou volgende ete gaan hê nie, om in vrees te moet leef vir iemand wat jou wil vermoor, om 'n kind aan die dood te moet afstaan agv hongerte. Die boek het my weer laat besef hoe gelukkig ons is en so ook ons kinders - wat nie opgewonde raak oor russians, chips en coke nie, maar dit as 'n "given" aanvaar.
Ek sal verseker die boek aanbeveel.
"Die kleintjie wat dood is, is dood van koors. Maar hier binne weet ek dis Honger wat haar kom vat het. Toe ek haar in die graffie neerlê wat die klong gegrou het, was sy so lig, net 'n geraamtetjie in flenters lap."
" "twee russians en 'n groot tjips," sê hy. "En 'n tweeliter-Coke." Fansie begin agter my te lag toe hy sien wat sy pa maak en Sponsie klap haar handjies."
Wat 'n hartverskeurende verhaal van 'n swerwer gesin in die Karoo. Daar was dele in die boek wat so hartseer was dat ek nie eers kon huil nie. Elke karakter was verskriklik goed gevorm, maar die een wat die diepste in my hart gekruip het was Witpop. Hierdie arme dogtertjie wat se grootste wens is dat sy skoolskoene, pads en pienk roll-on kan kry.
Ek het verskriklik jammer gevoel vir die ma ook wat net vir haar kinders indentiteitsboekies wil kry, sodat hulle kan bestaan.
Ook, so vir arme Fansie wat sy ma en pa se geld moet wegsteek as hulle dronk is om seker te maak dat hulle nie al die geld vir drank gebruik nie.
Ek kan myself dit nie indink om so 'n bestaan te maak nie. Om die heeltyd te moet rondtrek, om nie te weet wanneer jy jou volgende ete gaan hê nie, om in vrees te moet leef vir iemand wat jou wil vermoor, om 'n kind aan die dood te moet afstaan agv hongerte. Die boek het my weer laat besef hoe gelukkig ons is en so ook ons kinders - wat nie opgewonde raak oor russians, chips en coke nie, maar dit as 'n "given" aanvaar.
Ek sal verseker die boek aanbeveel.
September 2, 2015
Vir sommige beteken die gebrek aan identiteitsdokumente net ‘n lastige struikel blok om te register vir skool, ‘n bank rekening oop te maak of om ‘n SIM kaart te bekom, maar vir die nomadiese familie in hierdie hartseer storie het dit ‘n doodsaak geword.
Muis en haar man, Kapok en kinders Witpop, Sponsie en seun Fansie, is karretjiemense, wat eindeloos swerf deur die Karoo op hul donkiekar. Hulle oorleef deur los werkies te doen op plase in die Groot Karoo. Veral Witpop en Fansie het in my hart geklim al was hulle so uiteenlopend. Fansie ‘n kind van die veld en Witpop so pynlik bewus van die familie se armoede, smag om net ‘n paar skoene en roll-on te kan besit.
Die storie volg hierdie familie wat noodgedwonge moet terug gaan na Leeu-Gamka waar, Jan (Fansie se regte pa) 15 jaar tevore vermoor is. Muis moet haar grootste vreese konfronteer en probeer om haar familie bymekaar te hou in die proses.
Dis moeilik om te glo hierdie is ‘n vertaling uit Engels want die taal gebruik het so eg Afrikaans gevoel. Dit was ‘n hartseer maar ook interesante blik in die lewe van hierdie karretjiemense van die Karoo en word hoog aanbeveel.
Muis en haar man, Kapok en kinders Witpop, Sponsie en seun Fansie, is karretjiemense, wat eindeloos swerf deur die Karoo op hul donkiekar. Hulle oorleef deur los werkies te doen op plase in die Groot Karoo. Veral Witpop en Fansie het in my hart geklim al was hulle so uiteenlopend. Fansie ‘n kind van die veld en Witpop so pynlik bewus van die familie se armoede, smag om net ‘n paar skoene en roll-on te kan besit.
Die storie volg hierdie familie wat noodgedwonge moet terug gaan na Leeu-Gamka waar, Jan (Fansie se regte pa) 15 jaar tevore vermoor is. Muis moet haar grootste vreese konfronteer en probeer om haar familie bymekaar te hou in die proses.
Dis moeilik om te glo hierdie is ‘n vertaling uit Engels want die taal gebruik het so eg Afrikaans gevoel. Dit was ‘n hartseer maar ook interesante blik in die lewe van hierdie karretjiemense van die Karoo en word hoog aanbeveel.
January 3, 2014
I was entranced by this short, but vivid, account of the lives of the karretjiemense of the Karoo. I loved the way each character adds insight and detail so that we see their way of life from different points of view. Their humanity is intensely moving. There is a beautifully developed tension throughout the story which holds the reader's attention, as does the use of colloquial language and the description of the Karoo around Leeu Gamka and the Swartberg. I am tempted to give it 4.5 stars.
January 23, 2018
Identity documents mean different things to different people in this country. For many, the legacy of the 'dompas' prevails. After all, it has been just over 20 years since a section of the South African identity number defined race. Others worry about the personal information — age, gender and residency status — revealed by the 13-digit bar code.
For some, the lack of identity documents means they are unable to do things such as sign up for support grants, register for school or university, open bank accounts and register their SIM cards according to the requirements of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act.
But for Muis, the central character in Carol Campbell’s captivating novel, My Children Have Faces, not having 'papers' means certain death. Muis and her man, Kapok, their daughters, Witpop and Sponsie, and son Fansie, are karretjiemense, who travel in and live on, under and alongside their donkey cart, which is pulled by Pantoffel and her foal, Rinnik. They survive by taking on ad hoc jobs on farms in the Great Karoo. And when there’s no work, Fansie and his dog, Rinkhals, hunt for buck, porcupines, rabbits and birds to feed the family. Sometimes they eat roadkill.
For 15 years, Muis has managed to convince Kapok not to return to Leeu-Gamka, where she is convinced the psychopathic Miskiet is waiting to kill her for the sins he believes she committed against him. But, finally, with the desert drier than ever and work scarce, Kapok insists they return to the little town.
Thus begins a story of suspense and hardship in the wilderness. Narrated in turn by Muis, Kapok, Miskiet, Fansie and Witpop, the book is at once a thriller and one of the most heartbreaking tales of family and survival I have ever read.
The nub of the novel is Muis’s determination to get an identity book so she can register her children’s births. The words of Miskiet echo in her head: "When you die nobody will know you existed…. In court the police have to prove to the judge you existed. If they can find your body and you have no identity how will they know it isn’t all a big lie? Klein Muisie, the time will come when no-one will ever know you were here." She is determined the family will no longer be invisible — their papers will protect them from the murderous Miskiet.
The novel is beautifully constructed and exquisitely thrilling. The voices of Muis, Kapok, Miskiet, Fansie and Witpop are vivid and credible. Campbell, who wrote the book while living in Prince Albert, has mastered the art of building tension. She has also shone the spotlight on a group of South Africans who are frequently overlooked.
For some, the lack of identity documents means they are unable to do things such as sign up for support grants, register for school or university, open bank accounts and register their SIM cards according to the requirements of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act.
But for Muis, the central character in Carol Campbell’s captivating novel, My Children Have Faces, not having 'papers' means certain death. Muis and her man, Kapok, their daughters, Witpop and Sponsie, and son Fansie, are karretjiemense, who travel in and live on, under and alongside their donkey cart, which is pulled by Pantoffel and her foal, Rinnik. They survive by taking on ad hoc jobs on farms in the Great Karoo. And when there’s no work, Fansie and his dog, Rinkhals, hunt for buck, porcupines, rabbits and birds to feed the family. Sometimes they eat roadkill.
For 15 years, Muis has managed to convince Kapok not to return to Leeu-Gamka, where she is convinced the psychopathic Miskiet is waiting to kill her for the sins he believes she committed against him. But, finally, with the desert drier than ever and work scarce, Kapok insists they return to the little town.
Thus begins a story of suspense and hardship in the wilderness. Narrated in turn by Muis, Kapok, Miskiet, Fansie and Witpop, the book is at once a thriller and one of the most heartbreaking tales of family and survival I have ever read.
The nub of the novel is Muis’s determination to get an identity book so she can register her children’s births. The words of Miskiet echo in her head: "When you die nobody will know you existed…. In court the police have to prove to the judge you existed. If they can find your body and you have no identity how will they know it isn’t all a big lie? Klein Muisie, the time will come when no-one will ever know you were here." She is determined the family will no longer be invisible — their papers will protect them from the murderous Miskiet.
The novel is beautifully constructed and exquisitely thrilling. The voices of Muis, Kapok, Miskiet, Fansie and Witpop are vivid and credible. Campbell, who wrote the book while living in Prince Albert, has mastered the art of building tension. She has also shone the spotlight on a group of South Africans who are frequently overlooked.
July 19, 2018
Carol Campbell's novel is short but bursting with extraordinary characters and settings that leap off the page.
The story is about the "karretjiemense" (wagon people) of the Karoo. These people are nomads, who travel on donkey cars between farms, sheep-shearing and doing other seasonal work. They're unregistered meaning their children cannot go to school and are therefore illiterate. Many of these people struggle with alcoholism and domestic violence is a problem. These people are mostly invisible. But their lives are full of hope and colour.
Campbell tells the story of one such family with incredible sensitivity and empathy. It is one of the most heartrending books I've ever come across. The characters are vividly and richly described and the landscape rendered like an Impressionist painting.
"My Children Have Faces" is one of the most marvelous books to come out of South Africa in years.
The story is about the "karretjiemense" (wagon people) of the Karoo. These people are nomads, who travel on donkey cars between farms, sheep-shearing and doing other seasonal work. They're unregistered meaning their children cannot go to school and are therefore illiterate. Many of these people struggle with alcoholism and domestic violence is a problem. These people are mostly invisible. But their lives are full of hope and colour.
Campbell tells the story of one such family with incredible sensitivity and empathy. It is one of the most heartrending books I've ever come across. The characters are vividly and richly described and the landscape rendered like an Impressionist painting.
"My Children Have Faces" is one of the most marvelous books to come out of South Africa in years.
October 20, 2017
Brava Maestro
What a delightful read. As an expat I learned more about the new South Africa reading this book than all my visits to the country. Ms Campbell created a fine character ensemble. Endearing yet one wish to keep ones distance from this motley crew family. I thoroughly enjoyed getting onto the karretjie and walk the walk with Muis and Faansie and the rest. Ms Campbell is a fine observer, a stylish writer and a crafty storyteller, taking her readers on a journey way past their book reading hour. Well done to a highly commended read.😀
What a delightful read. As an expat I learned more about the new South Africa reading this book than all my visits to the country. Ms Campbell created a fine character ensemble. Endearing yet one wish to keep ones distance from this motley crew family. I thoroughly enjoyed getting onto the karretjie and walk the walk with Muis and Faansie and the rest. Ms Campbell is a fine observer, a stylish writer and a crafty storyteller, taking her readers on a journey way past their book reading hour. Well done to a highly commended read.😀
December 17, 2020
This story follows a nomadic family in the Karoo. The matriarch, Muis, is outrunning a dangerous past and trying to keep her family safe in the hostile landscape. I’d never heard of the karretjiemense, travelling people known for their donkey cart homes, and my heart breaks for the unfairness of it all. Wonderful characters and a beautiful tale.
September 15, 2019
I have to say that I read the Afrikaans translation, calle Karretjiemense. It was not at all in line with the powerful, beautiful words that I found in the Tortoise cried its only tear (another novel by Campbell relaring to the same theme). I suspect a lot was lost in translation.
July 22, 2018
Really loved this book. The charcters all "spoke" to me - whether to love or to hate! Bravo Carol Campbell 😊
January 8, 2019
I loved the story and the concept of "My Children Have Faces". It was simple but expertly executed.
August 29, 2019
Absolutely beautiful written, a heart wrenching story because of its realism! Love the style of writing and even though so sad couldn't stop reading as i wanted the happy ending....
April 7, 2015
A beautifully written but terribly sad account of 'karretjiemense' of the Great Karoo - the donkey cart people of the Karoo. Just when you feel sorry for yourself, think of Muisie and Fransie and Witpop and you will know how much you have to be grateful for. The author captures the poignant, desperate lives on the rough, harsh and open veld of the Karoo. The voices are true - the language and voices of these itinerants of the veld. A favourite read this year.
August 11, 2016
This is a very disturbing book that left me with mixed emotions of which not a single one was positive or of hope. So sad that its not fiction. In Afrikaans we know these people as Die Karretjie Mense, type of bedouins of the Karoo. I had hoped that their lives have changed but seeing this book was published in 2013 it seems they are still around.
October 31, 2016
As with her book 'Esther's House', Caroline Campbell has offered an insight into a world I will never know, lived by people who - if I were to meet them - I may never have the honour of getting to know.
Personal opinion: I enjoyed 'Esther's House' more, but that doesn't necessarily mean either book is better than the other.
Personal opinion: I enjoyed 'Esther's House' more, but that doesn't necessarily mean either book is better than the other.
June 23, 2013
Ek het hierdie boeke geweldig geniet. Ek was verstom om te sien dat dit uit die Engels vertaal is - ek kan nie dink hoe hierdie storie in Engels sou werk nie.
October 10, 2014
not my cup of tea
February 6, 2016
Baie geniet om te lees. Die karakters word keurvol uitgebeeld presies soos die "karretjiemense" leef. Dis regtig met deernis geskryf. Hoe kan n vrou en moeder staande bly in sulke omstandighede?
December 26, 2016
Fantastiese uitbeelding van 'n vergete kultuur.
May 26, 2013
'n Merkwaardige boek, eg en geloofwaardig.
February 20, 2015
Just awesome.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews