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ZEBRA: Friends by Fate. Enemies by Destiny.
A young white boy and a Zulu teen grow up together, building an extraordinary friendship as they explore the rugged Drakensberg mountains around a remote South African hotel during the apartheid era.
Jock and Papin forge an indelible bond while learning to love and appreciate each other's cultures. Despite whispers from intolerant guests, the boys are oblivious to the consequences of their friendship. "There goes the zebra," guests remark, claiming they can't tell where the white boy ends and the black boy begins.
But the boys' friendship is strong enough to conquer all-until society's impossible expectations wrench them apart, leaving bitter disappointment and soul-deep wounds that will not heal.
A decade later, these long-lost friends converge on opposite sides of a harrowing battlefield, one a reluctant soldier, the other a passionate freedom fighter. Their intimate knowledge of the other's way of life could be the very tools that save them...or destroy them. And an unimaginable choice will put Jock and Papin's once unbreakable bond to the ultimate test.
Jill Wallace, author of the multi-award-winning World War II novel War Serenade, brings together a fascinating coming-of-age story with a compelling tale of human connection in Zebra.
Jock and Papin forge an indelible bond while learning to love and appreciate each other's cultures. Despite whispers from intolerant guests, the boys are oblivious to the consequences of their friendship. "There goes the zebra," guests remark, claiming they can't tell where the white boy ends and the black boy begins.
But the boys' friendship is strong enough to conquer all-until society's impossible expectations wrench them apart, leaving bitter disappointment and soul-deep wounds that will not heal.
A decade later, these long-lost friends converge on opposite sides of a harrowing battlefield, one a reluctant soldier, the other a passionate freedom fighter. Their intimate knowledge of the other's way of life could be the very tools that save them...or destroy them. And an unimaginable choice will put Jock and Papin's once unbreakable bond to the ultimate test.
Jill Wallace, author of the multi-award-winning World War II novel War Serenade, brings together a fascinating coming-of-age story with a compelling tale of human connection in Zebra.
440 pages
Published May 28, 2021
About the author
Jill Wallace
5 books28 followersAbout the Author:
Jill Wallace was born and bred (her mother would prefer ‘brought up’) in South Africa, and lived the second half of her life in America. She feels like the African baobab or “Upside Down Tree”, with roots that look like branches. Like the confused baobab, she no longer knows where the South African ends and the American begins. She’s comfortable in her duality and hopes like hell it affords her some degree of complexity. A girl can always hope :o)
Sometimes, she loves dogs more than people, chocolate more than good sense, and Netflix binge-watching more than house cleaning (well… make the latter ALL the time!)
Jill’s addicted to writing. Expect her novels to have a South African flair, and no matter the century of her characters, she’ll strive to keep their situations relevant and their emotions real.
Wallace listens to the voices in her head which describe their dilemma and state of chaos. Then she waits, pen poised, to see what they’ll do about it. She records how they find the courage and strength to attain what they really want—be it friendship, peace, acceptance, or everlasting love. That’s the magic that keeps her heart pounding in her throat and her fingers flitting across keys.
Jill started her writing career as a screenwriter. Her first script was twice optioned by producers for movies. When disappointment flooded in and dreams collapsed, an author friend said, “To hell with them all. Write a book.” So, she did. It took her three years.
War Serenade is inspired by a true story about a bon vivant Italian opera star forced into WWII, who is shot down, captured by the allies and sent to a run-down POW camp in South Africa. Broken and longing for death, he sees a spunky red head through the barbed wire and when their eyes meet, she becomes his reason to live. But he is a prisoner, and she, his enemy…
War Serenade won a number of awards, the most recent are the Golden Quill Contest Winner Desert Rose RWA, and Rone Awards 2020, for best audio book.
Zebra, a #1 Amazon New Release, is Jill’s second novel and largely based on her husband’s experiences. Athol grew up in a remote resort in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa during the apartheid era and fought in the Bush Wars in the 60’s and 70’s. This literary fiction/historical/action adventure/coming-of-age saga spans 4 decades. Though the times are incendiary, Zebra is not about politics but a divine, true bond of friendship.
Learn more about the author and her books at http://www.jillwallace.com
Jill Wallace was born and bred (her mother would prefer ‘brought up’) in South Africa, and lived the second half of her life in America. She feels like the African baobab or “Upside Down Tree”, with roots that look like branches. Like the confused baobab, she no longer knows where the South African ends and the American begins. She’s comfortable in her duality and hopes like hell it affords her some degree of complexity. A girl can always hope :o)
Sometimes, she loves dogs more than people, chocolate more than good sense, and Netflix binge-watching more than house cleaning (well… make the latter ALL the time!)
Jill’s addicted to writing. Expect her novels to have a South African flair, and no matter the century of her characters, she’ll strive to keep their situations relevant and their emotions real.
Wallace listens to the voices in her head which describe their dilemma and state of chaos. Then she waits, pen poised, to see what they’ll do about it. She records how they find the courage and strength to attain what they really want—be it friendship, peace, acceptance, or everlasting love. That’s the magic that keeps her heart pounding in her throat and her fingers flitting across keys.
Jill started her writing career as a screenwriter. Her first script was twice optioned by producers for movies. When disappointment flooded in and dreams collapsed, an author friend said, “To hell with them all. Write a book.” So, she did. It took her three years.
War Serenade is inspired by a true story about a bon vivant Italian opera star forced into WWII, who is shot down, captured by the allies and sent to a run-down POW camp in South Africa. Broken and longing for death, he sees a spunky red head through the barbed wire and when their eyes meet, she becomes his reason to live. But he is a prisoner, and she, his enemy…
War Serenade won a number of awards, the most recent are the Golden Quill Contest Winner Desert Rose RWA, and Rone Awards 2020, for best audio book.
Zebra, a #1 Amazon New Release, is Jill’s second novel and largely based on her husband’s experiences. Athol grew up in a remote resort in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa during the apartheid era and fought in the Bush Wars in the 60’s and 70’s. This literary fiction/historical/action adventure/coming-of-age saga spans 4 decades. Though the times are incendiary, Zebra is not about politics but a divine, true bond of friendship.
Learn more about the author and her books at http://www.jillwallace.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 19, 2021
All. The. Feels! In this gripping coming of age novel of friendship, Jill Wallace weaves a story for the ages. Having a front row seat as Jock and Papin grow up was not just entertaining, but insightful. I was there, in the Drakensberg Mountains, feeling every pebble under my foot, every ray of sunshine warming my back, and every heartskip at the dangers that lurked around every turn in the unforgiving terrain. I couldn't help but recall Disney's The Fox and the Hound in the key moment of truth and grace. Like Copper and Todd, Jock and Papin remember what's most important--the very reason they are fighting--and take the reader with them on a captivating ride that leads to a remarkable ending you'll jump off your couch to clap for.
September 28, 2021
Green Gables Book Reviews thoughts:
Zebra by Jill Wallace
Zebra is an inspirational book about two boys whose friendship is accepted in two settings, tolerated in some, and forbidden in others. The boys simply see their friendship, while the world sees they are not the same color. Can their friendship survive when outside forces enter in? Zebra spans forty years and takes readers on an incredible and thought-provoking journey. Zebra breaks invisible boundaries and makes you question why the boundaries exist? Zebra is a book to remember.
Zebra by Jill Wallace
The boys love adventure. Papin teaches Jock about life in the wild, how to be safe, how to live from the land, and how to survive the dangers. This friendship is their world, and then, after Jock takes out his frustrations from boarding school on him, Papin disappears. Jock is devastated that his harsh words sent away his Zulu blood-brother. He searches everywhere, and Papin has vanished. When Jock returns from boarding school two weeks later, Papin is still gone. Then, when Jock’s Dad shares life-changing news, the chances of them reuniting plummet.
Zebra is written in three different settings, all twenty years apart. A young boy learns how to survive from his older friend. A man in the military uses what he learned as a young boy to keep his unit safe while trying to protect others from a terrorist. A man relives his past and shares it with his wife. This book is a journey through time and friendship that explores great joy, brotherhood, depression, anger, disbelief, fear, extreme racial prejudice, sadness, and disbelief.
Zebra is a book to remember.
Zebra by Jill Wallace
Zebra is an inspirational book about two boys whose friendship is accepted in two settings, tolerated in some, and forbidden in others. The boys simply see their friendship, while the world sees they are not the same color. Can their friendship survive when outside forces enter in? Zebra spans forty years and takes readers on an incredible and thought-provoking journey. Zebra breaks invisible boundaries and makes you question why the boundaries exist? Zebra is a book to remember.
Zebra by Jill Wallace
The boys love adventure. Papin teaches Jock about life in the wild, how to be safe, how to live from the land, and how to survive the dangers. This friendship is their world, and then, after Jock takes out his frustrations from boarding school on him, Papin disappears. Jock is devastated that his harsh words sent away his Zulu blood-brother. He searches everywhere, and Papin has vanished. When Jock returns from boarding school two weeks later, Papin is still gone. Then, when Jock’s Dad shares life-changing news, the chances of them reuniting plummet.
Zebra is written in three different settings, all twenty years apart. A young boy learns how to survive from his older friend. A man in the military uses what he learned as a young boy to keep his unit safe while trying to protect others from a terrorist. A man relives his past and shares it with his wife. This book is a journey through time and friendship that explores great joy, brotherhood, depression, anger, disbelief, fear, extreme racial prejudice, sadness, and disbelief.
Zebra is a book to remember.
September 20, 2022
I was drawn in on page one, and could not put it down!
A captivating story. The most endearing characters. And an exotic far away land. All deftly drawn together by the delicate hand of author, Jill Wallace.
Her love for her native South Africa, and her love for the real-life people who inspired this story, suffuse each page with both a vibrancy and a grounded realness that made my heart sing, and sometimes brought me to tears.
I challenge any reader to try to NOT fall in love with Jock and Papin. I laughed and chuckled with their adventures and misadventures. I smiled and wept with their joys and sorrows. And above all I felt the profound depth of their friendship and brotherhood.
As these two boys grow up together, we experience with them the conflicts and issues that were once invisible to them as children.
ZEBRA is not a political book, but it gazes unflinchingly at the cruelty and injustice of the apartheid era - how it seeks to define these young men, how each of them endures, and where the power of their brotherhood leads them.
Somehow, reading ZEBRA feels both like a modern classic and a guilty pleasure at the same time. It was so much fun to read, and I feel like a better person for having read it. It is the literary equivalent of eating your vegetables, and having them taste like dessert!
A captivating story. The most endearing characters. And an exotic far away land. All deftly drawn together by the delicate hand of author, Jill Wallace.
Her love for her native South Africa, and her love for the real-life people who inspired this story, suffuse each page with both a vibrancy and a grounded realness that made my heart sing, and sometimes brought me to tears.
I challenge any reader to try to NOT fall in love with Jock and Papin. I laughed and chuckled with their adventures and misadventures. I smiled and wept with their joys and sorrows. And above all I felt the profound depth of their friendship and brotherhood.
As these two boys grow up together, we experience with them the conflicts and issues that were once invisible to them as children.
ZEBRA is not a political book, but it gazes unflinchingly at the cruelty and injustice of the apartheid era - how it seeks to define these young men, how each of them endures, and where the power of their brotherhood leads them.
Somehow, reading ZEBRA feels both like a modern classic and a guilty pleasure at the same time. It was so much fun to read, and I feel like a better person for having read it. It is the literary equivalent of eating your vegetables, and having them taste like dessert!
June 11, 2021
Jill Wallace brings her unique writing style to a story of two boys from wildly different cultures who become best friends, only to find themselves on opposite sides in a war as adults. This is a rich coming-of-age story as much as it is a story about friendship and humanity, and it immerses the reader fully into a fascinating African culture - really, two fascinating cultures - as well as the horror of apartheid and its aftermath. Interesting, suspenseful and ultimately satisfying, this novel (like Wallace's World War II story War Serenade) is perfect for book clubs.
July 8, 2021
I loved this story! It’s about two boys growing up in South Africa , which is so well portrayed, of such a powerful friendship that most people will never experience. The characters come to life so vividly you feel you are right there. The families, adventures and cultural backgrounds and war make it rich. The societal differences that we still see in our world today are sewn together effortlessly while telling a beautiful story. Jill Wallace is very talented and I look forward to reading more and more. Her first book War Serenade was just as powerful as a love story during WWII. Well done!
September 14, 2022
ZEBRA by Jill Wallace:
Rarely have I finished reading a novel where, upon turning the last page, I let out a soul-deep, satisfying and blissful sigh. This story was incredibly moving, gritty, fast-paced, and heartbreaking. The range of emotions this author evokes in the reader is amazing. Jill Wallace has captured the mysterious and compelling mysteries of South Africa in her writing, and the tracing of the life of these two boys-to-men is compelling and rewarding. This book elevates one to a nobler existence, encompassing the human spirit's capabilities and shortcomings. Definitely a must-read for anyone who has a Mind Brownie and New Aunts to memorialize life's passages.
Rarely have I finished reading a novel where, upon turning the last page, I let out a soul-deep, satisfying and blissful sigh. This story was incredibly moving, gritty, fast-paced, and heartbreaking. The range of emotions this author evokes in the reader is amazing. Jill Wallace has captured the mysterious and compelling mysteries of South Africa in her writing, and the tracing of the life of these two boys-to-men is compelling and rewarding. This book elevates one to a nobler existence, encompassing the human spirit's capabilities and shortcomings. Definitely a must-read for anyone who has a Mind Brownie and New Aunts to memorialize life's passages.
March 6, 2022
A good description of what life was or could have been during the apartheid years in South Africa. When a Zulu and a white boy become friends it is not as easy as it might sound. Life takes them in different directions, and they will have to choose sides. There are many side characters in this book, including war and a hotel, but it will all be tied together at the end. Even though life my throw many things at you, humanity is what many of us have in common and this can be seen in this book even though there are many horrible things going on in this book.
July 6, 2022
The story pulled me in quickly, but as I got about 40% in, I felt it the pacing slowing up but I continued on and I am happy that I did. The two main characters worked so well together in the story, with their true friendship and cultural differences which made for an interesting read. Ms. Wallace is a good storyteller and once the book was completed, this reader felt satisfied with the ending and how it was pulled together.
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December 2, 2019[image error]
July 19, 2021
Beautifully written story that pulls you into a different time. The author creates a wonderful place where friendship is supreme. All of the cultural references are intriguing. Loved this story & truly cared about what happened to Nick & Papin. Highly recommend!!
September 9, 2021
No politics here, just an incredible story of friendship told with gorgeous attention to detail. A page turner, and one that left me shaken and impressed. Outstanding writing, story, and characters. Add this to your must read list. You won't be sorry.
April 22, 2022
Zebra was a great read. I was a child during the 70s and never completely understood what was happening in Africa. This brought it into focus and explained it in a,very personal way. Excellent book.
February 7, 2022
Another beautiful story about Jock and Papin. Two teens from different cultures, grow up together in Africa. Life is difficult but they forge their friendship. Fantastic.
January 31, 2023
White Zulu
Filled with rich history and scenery of South Africa and the Zulu heritage this book is well worth reading. The story is inspired by the life of Athol Wallace. It is the story of two young men one a white boy Jock (Tsotsi) and one a Zulu boy Papin. They grow up together at a motel in the Mountains of South Africa among the rugged terrain, the dangers and the wild creatures that lived there.
These two grow up together close as brothers doing everything together. Then as they get older the comments from the hotel guests using the word Zebra for them. They don't worry about it and ride their horses, sit on their rock, visit the Zulu compound and become blood brothers.
Then Jock is sent away to boarding school. When Jock goes to school, Papin follows the car until it is out of site, then he writes Jock letters at school which are important to Jock. They are still close until an incident at school and it changes things. Jock hurts his friend Papin and he leaves to start his life somewhere else.
The two boys lead different lives away from each other for a few years. Jock as an army lieutenant and Papin as part of the Resistant force they called Terrorist.
The story set around the hotel follows each in his life and comes back around. It is a story of two young men that are brothers but not by blood. both of them part English and part Zulu but neither quite feeling they fit in either society.
The ending is wonderful, I loved the ending.
Thanks to Jill Wallace for writing such an interesting story, to Tsotsi Publications for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.
Filled with rich history and scenery of South Africa and the Zulu heritage this book is well worth reading. The story is inspired by the life of Athol Wallace. It is the story of two young men one a white boy Jock (Tsotsi) and one a Zulu boy Papin. They grow up together at a motel in the Mountains of South Africa among the rugged terrain, the dangers and the wild creatures that lived there.
These two grow up together close as brothers doing everything together. Then as they get older the comments from the hotel guests using the word Zebra for them. They don't worry about it and ride their horses, sit on their rock, visit the Zulu compound and become blood brothers.
Then Jock is sent away to boarding school. When Jock goes to school, Papin follows the car until it is out of site, then he writes Jock letters at school which are important to Jock. They are still close until an incident at school and it changes things. Jock hurts his friend Papin and he leaves to start his life somewhere else.
The two boys lead different lives away from each other for a few years. Jock as an army lieutenant and Papin as part of the Resistant force they called Terrorist.
The story set around the hotel follows each in his life and comes back around. It is a story of two young men that are brothers but not by blood. both of them part English and part Zulu but neither quite feeling they fit in either society.
The ending is wonderful, I loved the ending.
Thanks to Jill Wallace for writing such an interesting story, to Tsotsi Publications for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.
September 1, 2021
Zebra is an intriguing and heartwarming story that the author Jill Wallace expertly portrays with explicit detail, atmosphere and time references that captivate her readers. Like all great artists she sets the mood, time and place so that the reader has the feeling of being there. A wonderful book that you won’t want to put down!
June 27, 2021
Beautifully written story that pulled the heartstrings.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews