Fiela's Child is a fiction novel by South African writer Dalene Matthee. The narrative is set in the forests of Knysna, South Africa. This novel follows the story of Fiela Komoetie and her family. Fiela is a black South African and works hard every day to provide for her family, tending to her farm and watching over her ostriches. In the late 1800s, having your own farm was a big deal for a black South African. Due to her husband's instability and illness, Fiela takes care of the farm and her four children: Kittie, Dawid, Emma and Tollie Komoetie. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One night, Fiela finds a three-year-old white boy crying at her door. From the child's appearance it seems that he has been abandoned and far from home. Although her hands are full with daily tasks and providing for her family, Fiela takes in the child and for nine years raises him, whom she names Benjamin Komoetie, as one of her own children. Life was good for the Komoetie family until the census came and took Benjamin away. Knowing that this day would one day come, Fiela fought for Benjamin but to no avail. Benjamin was then taken to a nearby illiterate white lumberjack family called the Van-Rooyen. Having to adapt to his new environment and new name, Lukas Van Rooyen, led him to try to fully accept his new identity. In this mix of attempts to find his identity, Benjamin discovers that he also had feelings for Nina, a beautiful girl who could be his sister if the Van Rooyens were his real family. Ultimately, Benjamin is unable to accept this change of living in the forest and adopting his identity, so he decides to escape his confinement in white society. His journey and the consequences of his actions are unimportant to Benjamin, who desires nothing more than the freedom to make decisions for himself. More than freedom, Benjamin longs for his mother Fiela, the person who raised him for nine years and who showed him a unique way of approaching the world. Throughout this novel,