‘Unwanted’ – a novel based on historical events

‘Unwanted’ is written in an unusual genre. It is a series of microhistories woven into a narrative covering three generations of German settlers to the Eastern Cape; their lives, loves, interaction with the Mfengu and the Ninth Frontier War, with an over-arching contemporary story set on the Wild Coast of South Africa, Komgha, the Pirie Forest, Keiskamahoek, and Cape Town. Besides the story, the book (which is over 500 pages) comprises maps, a detailed timeline, endnotes and photos.

Image copyright SI Brodrick
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Select praise from readers:

‘I really must congratulate you not only on its [Unwanted’s] historical accuracy but on its success in recreating the atmosphere of that time and place.’
                                                                               Prof. Jeff Peires, E Cape historian


‘Meticulous research . . . a real scholarly labour . . . an excellent accomplishment.’
                                                                              Dr E Bigalke, UK, former curator, 
                                                                              East London Museum


‘Your book is from their [the settlers’] angle, not just something you got from other books. You have genius: you get right into their hearts – a rare thing. History everybody can write, but you creep into the minds of the settlers and write what they say and think, and you do it in such a realistic and believable way, expressing their hopes and suffering.’

                                                                              Dr Fritz Haus, ex-Lindenbrück, 
                                                                              Poland


‘I am convinced that Unwanted is the most exciting addition to the lexicon of Eastern Cape Africana. It makes history come grippingly alive.’
                                                                             Dr Andrew Howe, East London



‘A novel about old and new frontiers. Like Scott-Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, Brodrick focuses on the struggle of human beings to transcend and recreate their pasts. Isabel has a romantic readiness to embrace life, but the current tries to pull her and Rude back as they try to row towards the green light, believing, not only in their personal relationship, but in the future of their country.’
                                                                            Arthur Thiele, Cape Town



‘You captured the Border idiom very well. When reading the book I could hear it again . . .’

                                                                           Monica Sauer, daughter of former
                                                                           Keiskamahoek headmaster