Former Salt Rock resident and author Clare Houston is delving into KwaZulu-Natal’s rich history once again with her latest novel, Flight of a Rare Bird.

Many readers will remember Clare from the five years she spent in Salt Rock, where she and her husband, Peter, led All Souls Anglican Church.

Now living in Kloof, Houston first found literary success with her debut novel, An Unquiet Place in 2018. Her latest novel again draws on South Africa’s complex history, with KwaZulu-Natal providing a perfect backdrop.

The idea began as a novella aimed at teenage girls, inspired partly by pupils at Houston’s former school, Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High.

“I wanted to use the mountains of research I did for An Unquiet Place and explore the effects of the Boer War on a town that wasn’t in the war zone but was massively affected by the times,” she said.

“The publishing house I was with at the time asked me to rewrite it into a full-length novel and then turned it down when I was finished. That was when I discovered why being an author is so tough!”

The novel follows Anna and Emmy, two young women who challenge society’s expectations in very different ways.

Anna is a Zulu woman raised in an English household whose academic prowess goes largely unrecognised, while Emmy has little interest in conventional schooling and would rather be useful than decorative.

“Both girls, and there must’ve been countless others, are misfits in a world defined by others,” said Clare.
While set in another era, Clare believes the struggle against being defined by others remains relevant for women today.

“A square peg in a round hole? Don’t change the peg, carve out a new place for it.”

Her research also revealed how extensively the Boer War affected Natal beyond famous battlefields such as Spioen Kop and Colenso. Concentration camps were established in places including Howick, Pietermaritzburg, Pinetown and Merebank, while trains transported troops inland and wounded soldiers towards Durban.

The book also has a family connection. Each chapter features an illustration of a local bird drawn by Houston’s daughter Beth, who used an old edition of Roberts to give them a vintage appearance.

Houston has also embraced self-publishing after experiencing the challenges of traditional publishing.

“Both routes are tough and neither reaps the rewards that local authors perhaps deserve.”

Her ambition remains to write full-time, although she says South Africa’s relatively small reading market makes that difficult.

For now, the writing process itself provides the reward.

“The writing is best when the problem is biggest,” she said.

Order a copy on Amazon or directly from the author’s website at clarelouisehouston.wixsite.com/mysite.