ABOUT

KAREN COCHLOVIUS

Karen Cochlovius is a painter and writer. Previously she worked as an exploration geologist in Africa and she now dedicates her time to the arts. Karen Cochlovius’ paintings create sanctuaries for contemplation, urging the viewer to step into the painting for further discovery – for what lies beyond that alley, drifts beneath the water and whose shadow lies cast before you?

PAINTER

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WRITER

DESERT VARNISH BY KAREN COCHLOVIUS

A young African geologist who must contend with the physical demands of a year-long tunnel digging project and the prejudices and hostiles that come with being a woman in a field dominated by men is the focus of this fascinating novel. Sent to work on a Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme in Southern Africa, Robyn knows from the moment she arrives that it was a mistake to accept a position there. Though she is an experienced field geologist, she struggles to adapt to the physical and emotional challenges posed by the project. After a year surviving derailments, cave-ins, and flooding, Robyn leaves the tunnel project to work on various assignments that take her to vastly different locations in South Africa and Namibia. Her passion for her job and an unexpected fondness for the locals she meets guide her through her most difficult assignments. Providing insights into the daily life and work of geologist, this novel also paints a vivid picture of the Southern African landscape.

REVIEWS

It is strange that one can thoroughly enjoy a story about Geology. But Cochlovius has written a storming novel filled with crazy people such as Levi, Louwtjie, Riaan and the neurotic hypochondriac geologist Dicky. With a passion for rocks, Robyn is separated from her husband Terrance for months at a time as they tour the continent searching for minerals and precious metals. Robyn's first job takes her deep underground and you feel her pain as she chokes on dust and suffers various ailments. Cochlovius's descriptions of barren wastelands, characters and even rock samples paint a tangible picture and Robyn's tale of physical harm, misogynist behaviour, prejudice, and corporate backstabbing, makes for a damn good read

Desert Varnish is a highly competent piece of writing...it is a sympathetic book. There are examples of heartfelt anger but it is the work of a happy woman who writes with clarity...While having no particular interest in geology, I was fascinated by Cochlovius's lucid interpretation of what geologists do, the wide fields open to them, the sheer excitement of doing a difficult job well. Her description of her main character's contribution to the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme is both superb and scary. Deeply felt and shared with simplicity and a lack of 'I love Nature' writing is her evocation of the local and Namibian landscapes.

Desert Varnish is a superbly crafted novel which delves deep into the very fabric of Southern Africa to unearth complex multi-faceted relationship between the landscape and the people who inhabit it

The book I have enjoyed is Desert Varnish by Karen Cochlovius (Kwela Books). It is supposedly fiction but clearly based on a lot of harsh, real life lived by a woman geologist in places such as Namaqualand and Namibia.

For more information contact Karen on info@karencochlovius.co.za