Islands by Dan Sleigh

Over the past couple weeks, I have been reading the historical novel Islands by Dan Sleigh. It is a rerecreation of what life might have been like at the Cape of Africa during Dutch rule and colonization. It was a bit dull at the beginning but as I got further into the book it began to catch me. Unfortunately, I had to return the book to the library this morning unfinished having only read about 400 of the 750 pages. I just may have to borrow the book again at a later date. One theme in this book that I find significant is how often its main characters are low on a socio-economic scale and are often told by their superiors that they have a future; but in reality are permamently trapped in their socio-economic status.