ABOUT THE BOOK

Set in a remote corner of South Africa in the early 1960's, 'Cracks' is a haunting, mesmerizing story of young girls caught up in a drama of passion, longing and identity. Fiamma Coronna, a foreign student out walking on the grounds of her boarding school, disappears one day into the heat and dust of the Transvaal. Forty years later, her schoolmates gather at the invitation of the aged headmistress to save the school from a developer's bulldozer. They had been members of the school's swim team, each completely devoted to their coach, Miss G., a powerfully attractive, charismatic woman who was their first crush, their "crack".

Now middle-aged, each of these women - whether accomplished or frustrated, voluble or silent - remembers the events leading to Fiamma's disappearance. Through image and emotion, recollection and observation, the women relive the horror of a long-buried secret. 'Cracks' is a singular and stunning tale of the passion and tribalism of adolescence, an exploration of time and memory, and of the carnal violence that lies at the heart of the most innocent.

Sheila Kohler was born in South Africa. She is the author of the novels, 'The Perfect Place' and 'The House on R Street', and of the short story collection 'Miracles in America'. She lives in New York City.