The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

 

Hortensia and Marion live next door to each other in South Africa.  Hortensia is black, Marion white.  They live in a wealthy enclave as both were successful professional women.  Hortensia is a designer, Marion was an architect before her four children came along and she decided to stay home with them.  In fact, Marion designed the house Hortensia lives in and considers it her best work.

The two women dislike each other and make no bones about it.  They fight at community meetings.  Hortensia thinks Marion is a racist; Marion thinks Hortensia is the most unpleasant woman she's ever met.  But both are facing issues.  Hortensia's husband has recently died.  He has left his money to the daughter he had with a long time affair and his will insists the Hortensia contact her and tell her.  Marion's husband had business reverses before he died and Marion is now broke and may need to sell her house.  Both are involved in a government push to reimburse those native people who were cheated of their land; land on which the houses the women live in are located.

Then disaster strikes.  Hortensia decides to renovate her house but on the first day of construction, a crane goes out of control and plows into Marion's house causing extensive damage.  Hortensia is injured, her leg broken.  Now Hortensia needs nursing care and Marion needs somewhere to live.  Begrudgingly Hortensia offers Marion room in her house and Marion accepts and agrees to help Hortensia in her recuperation.  Will this bring the two women together?

Yewande Omotoso grew up in Nigeria but now lives in South Africa.  Her work has been nominated for various prizes such as the Dublin Literary Award and the Women's Prize in Fiction.  In this tale of battling widows, she delves into the basis of racism and how many are racist without realizing it, often congratulating themselves in their tolerance while continuing to consider others lesser.  Hortensia is not about to be condescended to by anyone and has no qualms about telling her opinions whenever and wherever.  As these two women find a way to live together, it gives hope that the world will do the same.  This book is recommended to multicultural literary fiction readers.