‘The Mandela Effect’, Eric Blue’s Debut Satire Fiction Novel

‘The Mandela Effect’, Eric Blue’s Debut Satire Fiction Novel, Takes Readers on a Dark and Twisting Tale of an Alternative South Africa.

Lindiwe, a young university student and the protagonist, finds herself stumbling back in time, before the New South Africa ever emerged. Police brutality, stark segregation, protesting prisoners, and a long fight for freedom were the order of the days back then. ‘The Mandela Effect’ is a story of what-ifs. It takes the reader on a journey into the difficult deep history of South Africa and the Apartheid regime. It analyses both sides of the struggle, as we follow Lindiwe, as she grapples between black and white.

Key topics include the telling of celebrations and prosperity during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and then jumping back a few decades to the troubles of oppression and the uprising. We are exposed to the law, corruption, and an ever-evolving complexity between right and wrong. All the famous faces get a mention, from Mandela to P.W. Botha, F.W. De Klerk, Steve Biko and Neil Aggett (both who died in police detention), as well as Robert Mugabe (ZANU) and Joshua Nkomo (ZAPU).

If you have a thirst for history and humanity, this read is definitely not to be missed. You’ll uncover a rich and rare story of Nelson Mandela, life on Robben Island, life on the mainland, and how very different things might have been should they have not gone the way they did. The novel is accurate enough to bring back memories to old-timers, and to give youngsters an insight into how harsh Apartheid really was.

A particularly powerful section is chapter 11, “Be Careful What you Wish for”. It’s a moment where roles are reversed, and a man born into privilege is suddenly thrust into a difficult dream. Racism is ripe and this character gets to witness that as a young black man.

“The word ‘Ubaba’ kept running through his mind. He now knew what the word meant but why did Lindiwe use that word? He wasn’t old enough to be her father. ‘Erasmus, you need to work it out before it kills you. There is something special about this girl!’ – Page 129 Chapter19.

“The word ‘Ubaba’ kept running through his mind. He now knew what the word meant but why did Lindiwe use that word? He wasn’t old enough to be her father. ‘Erasmus, you need to work it out before it kills you. There is something special about this girl!’

Another memorable chapter is Chapter 18, “The Race for the Truth”. Here the pace of the novel speeds up and we hit a climax. We have both leads, Pieter and Lindiwe, trying to work out what has happened thus far. They are close to discovering the truth among the mystery surrounding the laboratory.

Later on in the story, you’ll understand how the characters merge together and the importance of looking back to connect the dots. We find out that Nelson Mandela is still on the island, and that Pieter anticipates Apartheid ending sooner than expected. The stakes are high, but the beloved country, South Africa, is at risk. It is Apartheid forever, or a new dawn? Failure is not an option for Pieter, Lindiwe and several other good guys and girls.

Knowing the future helps Lindiwe to understand the past as she foreshadows the thinking of the then-President P.W. Botha. All said and done, it is clear that P.W. Botha did not believe that the white minority would rule South Africa forever. He could just not forsee South Africa having a black President.

Lindiwe also plays the hero in the prison cell, where she fires a gun at a warden, all in the hope of helping Mandela. The unity of a group of unlikely friends helped save the nation.

Although ‘The Mandela Effect’ is not a history book as such, it is a fascinating insight into Apartheid South Africa. ‘The Mandela Effect’ is both a riveting memoir and a thought-provoking story. It’s one of the best reads of 2020.

This book is freely available on Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books, Apple Book Store and many other online book shops. You can also read and download at author website https://eric.blue/b/mandela-effect/bw

About Author:

Eric Blue is a modern era storyteller who sees things differently than most writers do. He spots the “story behind the story” and his mind works on the “what could have been” scenario. He focuses on the mirror image to give the readers an in-depth look at how life could have been. His work may be fiction, but it also could have been today’s headline news. Eric’s writing is built on a passion to boldly go where other writers seldom thing about going. Check his website https://eric.blue/ for more works from him.