Hi,
I’ve finished the second draft of my novel and I’m looking for 5 beta readers to give me feedback before attempting the third rewrite. My project is a historical novel of just over 70 000 words which takes place in the 18th Century during slavery at the Cape of Good Hope.
The Buried Chameleon is a literary work told in third person with multiple viewpoints. It has a historical and a contemporary component. The historical story is about the 11-year-old slave, AMBERIKE from Abyssinia. The Dutch school teacher EGBERT falls in love with her; the COOK, an exile from Indonesia, tries to protect her. KLAAS, a soldier from Ambon Island, and the overseer or mandoor, ARIE de Boer de Grood are also interested in Amberike. With so many suitors it is difficult to find the perpetrator when she becomes pregnant after a rape.
The narrative is set in 1713 during the smallpox epidemic. Amberike contracts it, and loses the baby. This changes her from a submissive girl to a woman. The Cook writes a shadow play, which is an ancient Javanese form of cultural expression, about Amberike’s rape. The play encapsulates dominant themes in the novel and, when it is rediscovered in post-apartheid South Africa by the contemporary protagonist, KATY, it is also the link between the past and the present.
The contemporary plot centers on Katy. She is independent, strong-willed, and in a troubled relationship with her husband; NORMAN, who has been retrenched. Their ten-year-old daughter, AMY, is diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. Katy explores her past and discovers that Amberike may be her ancestor.
NB. Due to misuse the contact form has been removed.
Cornelia Smith Fick 