The theory of flight
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Publisher: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9781415209424
Imogen “Genie” Zula Nyoni is a very special girl who grows into an incredible, defiant woman; her mother was a country and western singer, and her father was a freedom fighter who shot down an aeroplane during the war for liberation. Genie wasn’t born; she hatched from a golden egg. She comes from a line of dreamers and visionaries in a southern African country, and her story takes us through several decades of this country’s history from colonisation to liberation, civil war and an uneasy, if not chaotic, postcolonial era. Genie’s charming grandfather had access to some education, which stimulated his imagination and led him to the life of a travelling salesman. Bafana Ndlelaphi (who later changed his name to Baines Tikiti) could talk many a scrupulous housewife out of her last penny, charmed by his silver tongue which could turn the gaudiest piece of rubbish trinket into a must-have item. On one of his sojourns, he met Prudence Ngoma, who would not fall for his charms and, as a result, he had to marry her. They had a boy child with albinism who went on to become a freedom fighter. His nom de guerre was Golide, meaning “gold”, with reference to the pioneering spirit of the gold miners in South Africa.
Genie spends her childhood on the Beauford Farm and Estate in the country without a name. She is incredibly close to her mom, who weaves fantastic tales which she shares with her during bath time. She has a companion in Marcus Masuku, who lives on the compound with his strict grandparents. The two play in the sunflower field and play-drive in the old, broken-down brown car. One day, a tall, white-looking man is dropped off – it’s Genie’s dad! He is a renowned soldier, and the legend about him shooting down a plane has spread across the countries in the region. Golide brings with him a firm belief that he will build an aircraft to fly his beloved wife to Nashville, where she can pursue her dream of becoming a country and western star. The dream of flying proves to be infectious, and several inhabitants of the compound join him in this ambitious project. On another day, a strange couple with a baby comes and takes Marcus away. It is his mom, dad and baby sister, newly returned to take up a high place in society after working and studying in the United States. Genie has to learn the difficult lesson of letting go. Her separation from Marcus isn’t the toughest lesson; one tragic day, soldiers raid the Beauford Farm and Estate, and 17 people are murdered. Their hearts turn into beautiful objects, and Genie’s aunt Jestina has to run away with her. Genie’s parents take flight, literally; they turn into flying creatures and take off.
Genie lives in a magical world. This is a world that author Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu creates with a light touch, and she also gives Genie the power to create her own magic, which she uses to illuminate beautiful and ugly truths about the adults in her life. She is reunited with Marcus as his parents undertake to adopt her. Although Marcus adores her, his little sister Krystle is initially resentful of Genie’s presence. The two girls form a bond, but Genie enters her teenage years and Marcus is sent to boarding school, giving the siblings another lesson in letting go. One day, while crossing the road, Genie is hit by a car and is saved by Jesus. This is the beginning of a long relationship in which love is acted upon rather than announced. Genie has to deal with a life-threatening condition, and chooses to embrace life, believing that she can achieve a lot in the minimum of five years that the doctors have given her to live. Jesus has his own burdens and demons, and it’s thanks to Genie that he is able to make a living with his art. His own colourful but tainted history is another example of the social repercussions of the country’s colonial past and its postcolonial present. Jesus yields to Genie, and they become a central part of the city’s social fabric, even though they choose to remain oblivious to their role.
As Genie and Jesus live out their life, the past begins to catch up with Marcus’s family. As Genie starts to prepare for the arrival of the Grim Reaper, secrets begin to surface, forcing everyone to self-reflect if they are brave enough to do so. This is not a tale about morality or the vagaries of war, although these are real issues in the novel. It is, rather, a clever reimagination of childhood, family, community and power in a postcolonial Africa, with a generous dose of magic. Genie is a charming character, and witnessing her coming of age is an intimate experience. The theory of flight comprises a complex plot, and there are plenty of personalities who are not easily forgotten. Ndlovu manages to keep the reader reined in throughout this rolling tale, taking on heavy issues such as war, patriarchy, corruption and disease without weighing the spirit down. Although the story doesn’t have a happy ending in the typical sense, bearing witness to how Genie touches the lives of those around her leaves one with a sense of what it means to live a meaningful life. A triumphant story told in a magical way.