Garden of the Plagues ‒ Russel Brownlee

A fascinating tale set at the Cape in 1685 in the time of Simon van der Stel and the Dutch settlement, Garden of the Plagues boasts an enthralling cast of characters, from cruel officials and hapless victims to spirited survivors and rogues who inhabited the unforgiving southern tip of Africa at the time.

Suffering through a ‘plague’ of our own in the world right now, it was interesting that despite my avoidance of any books referring to viruses and plagues, I inadvertently ended up reading about precisely that – the devastating Great Plague that ripped through London in 1665. Mercifully, the plague is not the main theme of the book, but still clearly describes the long-lasting impact of an uncontrollable virus on countries and individuals.

I picked Garden of Plagues because I have always been fascinated by the Company’s Garden created almost 400 years ago by the Dutch. This book depicts not only the first settlers’ (mostly barbaric) lifestyle, but also the harshness of the landscape, and I found Brownlee’s philosophical approach both challenging and captivating.

The story centres around Adam Wijk, the rather reclusive gardener and botanist who cares for the Company's Garden. More than just a reserved type, there is something enigmatic about Wijk. As the mystery slowly unfolds it is revealed that he had been a physician during the Great Plague in London which was one of the last outbreaks of the Black Death, the deadliest pandemics dating back to the 14th century. It was here that Wijk had treated a smallpox case by experimenting with an antidote and was subsequently stripped of his license and exiled to Africa.

Into Wijk’s lonely life at the Cape steps a stranger, a mute woman from a seemingly plague-ridden Dutch ship moored in Table Bay. As he tends the sick woman he finds that she reawakens in him feelings long dead and their relationship develops into a poignant love story rich in atmosphere and detail.

Brownlee’s debut is attributed to Andre Brink and, in many ways, it reminded me of the Afrikaans literature of the so-called ‘Sestigers’. Brownlee masterfully narrates a wonderful tale that combines the realistic with the fantastical, resulting in an intriguing novel with an original voice. It is an enchanting historical novel for those interested in the sordid history of the Cape of Storms and the origin of South Africa’s civilisation.