There is a Season

Adéle is dying and needs to be brought home. Her two daughters meet up after many years apart, to take care of her in her fading days, in an old house in the Western Cape village of Vergenoeg. Bella, the younger, is single, bohemian, a singer living in Paris, a rebel. San, the well-groomed older sister, is a responsible mother, domesticated and far more conservative. Their contact with death forces them to face the reality of their lives, which is not what it appears to be. A moving, intimate account of the relationship between mothers, daughters and sisters, and a reflective squaring-up to death. As Adéle considers her life, she thinks: I am not afraid, only sad. A bit disappointed. Surely there should have been more? This is a story that takes place in a fictitious town: Vergenoeg ("far enough"). This could mean "far away enough"; it could also mean "satisfied enough". Either way, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it is a story that deals with daughters, sisters and mothers - a story eminently suited to women. Bella is the younger, "sinful" daughter; she's a singer in Paris; she's a big name in South Africa. Her older - always responsible - sister is San; she's the one who keeps not only the household but also the community going; she's the good one. Their mother is dying of cancer. At her request, her two daughters care for her until her death in the family