PAUL HASTON

Rising of a Dead Moon

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Paul Haston's critically acclaimed novel is based on a true story: the shipment of indentured Indian 'coolies' recruited by white colonials to work in slavery on the sugar plantations in 1870's Natal.

 

Usha, an Indian girl, is named after the Hindu deity, the goddess of dawn, but believes her real name is Nakti, or night, for her life is filled with sadness. Forced into an arranged marriage and subsequently widowed, she faces a life of eternal penance, praying for a miracle that she may find the father who has abandoned her.

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