Johannesburg, Fiona Melrose's second novel is set over the course of a single day, December 6, 2013 – her first, Midwinter, was longlisted for the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. In Johannesburg, Gin Brandt, an artist who grew up in South Africa but now lives in New York, has returned home for her mother Neve's 80th birthday – she is throwing her a party, and there is much to be done before the celebrations that evening. All around them, the city buzzes with life, and death. At the nearby Residence, Nelson Mandela's family prepares to announce his passing to the world. Alongside that of the two women, we are admitted entry into the hearts and minds of a rich cast of characters, most notably Neve's housekeeper Mercy; another domestic worker in a nearby house, Dudu; her brother September, a homeless hunchback who sustained serious injury protesting for workers' rights at the mine where he was once employed; and Peter, a labour lawyer, who has been in love with Gin since they were teenagers. He is now eagerly awaiting her return, hopeful for a second chance.
Sounds familiar? It should do since Melrose's publishers are calling it "an ambitious homage to Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway". Ambitious is the right word – not many would be confident enough to take on one of the most famous and finest examples of modernist fiction and Melrose certainly gives it her all. Johannesburg is bursting with nods to the original. These range from the more obvious – structure, plot and the similarities between characters – to the subtle – the sections narrated by Neve's dog Juno (Flush, Woolf's genre-defying biography of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cocker spaniel was published in 1933). Elsewhere, there are similarities in the detail of a certain image or particular choice of word that resonates with Woolf's own, whether from Mrs Dalloway
or elsewhere.
Dalloway's famous essay A Room of One's Own is referenced on more than one occasion. "A studio of her own was what she had always yearned for," admits Gin. "Not a husband." Mercy, meanwhile, desires "her own apartment […] But she had no such room, no such kitchen to call her own and it was this lack she felt most keenly". It is not that these do not ring true. They are just a little too conspicuous to be as satisfying as Melrose's more understated offerings. Gin's desire, for example, to "do something to make it right and set the day back in its hinges", after news of another character's death taints the perfection of her party, echoes with an early line from Mrs Dalloway regarding Woolf's heroine's pre-party planning: "The doors would be taken off their hinges;" thinks Clarissa Dalloway, "Rumpelmayer's men were coming."
Will it delight or distress fans of the original? A little of both, I fear. There is pleasure to be taken in these moments of recognition, but, bar the more obvious differences between the original and its imitation, since Melrose actually stays surprisingly true to Woolf's story, the predictability of the plot becomes a tad tiresome and Melrose's stream of consciousness has a tendency to topple over into hyperbole. What she does excel at though is successfully depicting what reads like a true cross-section of a still fractured and troubled society, especially when it comes to an essential truth seen from two different perspectives. "Commerce was the new coloniser and all else that had come before was diminished and expunged," thinks Gin with a nostalgia born of privilege. For poor, misunderstood September, meanwhile, "This city had, over time, reduced him to mere units of himself." It's a world of inequality and violence, the white people who live behind high walls and electric gates are afraid to walk the streets, although they can buy off the police if they're caught drunk driving, and trigger-happy guards patrol buildings with AK-47s – "The great liberator of Africa, thought September."
Although a little too indebted to Woolf's novel to be truly exciting, nevertheless Melrose takes an ordinary day and ordinary lives and renders them extraordinary.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
more from Janine di Giovanni
More from Janine di Giovanni
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
