THE SYNOPSIS OF "ON WHICH THE SUN HAS SET" by Kate Fagalde The title of the book is drawn from the famous saying that the British Empire was one on which the sun never set. Read the book and decide whether it set on our bit! Jeffrey Harrington is a product of the English class system who, in the mid 1960’s has been sent out to Africa in order to run the local prison in the little town of Mohales Hoek in southern Lesotho. Here in the heart of Southern Africa, he feels the sands shifting under his feet as the last remnants of the British colonial system relinquishes its hold on the Protectorate and it is handed over to the Basotho who will attempt to rule themselves. Jeffrey’s wife Betty is a young housewife and mother who is expected to entertain, raise her children with the help of a succession of nursemaids, play a decent game of tennis and to generally keep up the standards expected of the British colonials. She is becoming bored with her marriage and finds that her life in Africa lacks the excitement that she expected, and she seeks for new experiences, constantly aware that the eyes of the town are forever watchful. Jeremiah is a Basotho prisoner in Harrington’s jail, sentenced for a crime of which he is largely innocent. He serves his sentence but he also knows that a time is coming when he will find his situation with Harrington reversed to some extent. He seeks to bring up his children in the traditional way but realises that his world is changing and he must give up many of his old beliefs to make way for the modern world. In the absence of her husband, Jeremiah’s wife Maletsatsi is forced to leave their mountain home, placing her children in the care of a stranger when she comes to Mohales Hoek to seek work. Maletsatsi finds a job as nursemaid to Betty Harrington’s children and begins to create a niche for herself in the family. Her children interact with those of Betty resulting in a surprising future for both groups. It is because of this association that Jeremiah finds himself with greater access to the Harrington household and Betty is disturbed by the presence of this powerfully built good looking Basotho who because of social constraints should be totally off limits to her. Should Jeremiah resist her advances thus placing the desperately needed job of his wife at risk, when he is determined to succeed in the dangerous world of politics? Jeffrey is restless and finds himself straying into the arms of another woman in town who is the wife of one of the permanent European residents. How will they cope in a community which of necessity has to interact on a daily basis? As the country undergoes many changes and works its way towards freedom from the colonial yoke, so there is a change in the outlook and expectations of the people who go to make up the small community of Mohales Hoek.