Hoopvol
Summaries
English Chapter Summaries
Taneil Thompson
, Taneil Thompson
Hoopvol
Derick van der Walt
**Please use these notes with the character summaries I have uploaded
as characters are important and I have not included all the aspects of
every character in these chapter summaries**
PART 1
The book starts with a poem by Enya about hope.
Prologue
On the night that Ben’s house burns down, he runs away and gets on a
train to the fresh product market in Pretoria with his mother, Nathalie’s,
green handbag made of fake ostrich leather. He can’t remember the
smell of his mother’s or sister’s bodies burning due to the fire, the burnt
hair on his arms or the groups of people who surrounded his house. He
does remember Aunty Pop in her blue gown that was screaming. He also
knew that there was nothing left for him in Johannesburg.
Chapter 1- Nathalie
This is set when Nathalie (Ben’s mother) is a young girl. Nathalie works
in hotel Rose and Crown in the Karoo which is owned by Tannie Lettie.
Rose and Crown is an old hotel with wine red mats and a smell of the
many years and many people that have been in the hotel. Hoopvol is a
small town with very little opportunity and a single tar road that runs
through the town. Tannie Lettie and her friend Laetitia, who is the
mayor, have a ritual of meeting at the hotel every day. Tannie Lettie
drinks Brandy and Coke and Laetitia drinks wine. Tannie Lettie orders
that Nathalie gets them some drinks and she says that it is past 6 and
she should have gone home already. Tannie Lettie then manipulates her
and says that when she employed Nathalie she didn’t take her to be a
nine-to-five girl and tells her that she should be grateful that she has a
job in a town like Hoopvol. Nathalie’s parents are dead and Tannie Lettie
speaks to her as if she is her own daughter. Nathalie complains that she
has to wash Mrs. Chalmers’ washing and Lettie asks why she can’t do it
herself. In Hoopvol, as the sun goes down, the residents can be found
watching TV and drinking cheap wine. They will all wake up the next
SAHETI School, 2019
, Taneil Thompson
morning and just have a repeat of the last day. The few privileged
residents live in a suburb called Mielie-se-kop. Religion is important to
Nathalie. Gielie drives past her on his motorbike and invites her to play
pool with him. She says she is tired and has washing to do and says that
she might go the next time. Aalwyn and Tonteldoos are the only two
guest houses owned by Aunty Door and Aunty Mollie who often fight
over the select few guests who come into town. Every Thursday night,
Hoopvol has prayer hour. Nathalie says she envies the people who are
just passer-byers as they are able to leave and go back to Johannesburg
or Pretoria. The people who buy expensive wine that Aunty Breggie buys
with an apple and an onion by Pick ‘n Pay. Even after their matric dance
and after party which were both held on Van Eedens’ farm, they realised
that they were still there, and they weren’t going anywhere. Nathalie
recalls having to watch the rich farmers’ kids go off to university. The
day a friend named Jorrie, got picked up to go to Stellenbosch because
he got a bursary, Nathalie decided that he was the last person they
would say goodbye to. After that, Eddie would get a two-litre and he
would sit in the Rose and Crown or in the church’s little room inside.
Very often girls like Fiona, a sweet and innocent girl, would be seen
going to the back of the hotel with Eddie. A few of them would go to
Beaufort-West with Eddie’s car and drink and laugh all the way down-
but that was all they had. For 13 years, Nathalie lived in a house in Olive
Schreiner Street with her mother and father who managed the plumbing
business in Hoopvol. When she was 13 her parents were in an accident
on Oudtshoorn road and were buried under one gravestone in Hoopvol-
this was 5 years ago. Nathalie was adopted by Mrs Chalmers and Pastor
Chalmers. Mrs Chalmers was a hypocrite as she seemed like a nice lady
on Sundays in front of everyone at church but during the week she
continuously made Nathalie feel guilty. Nathalie was never told that her
house was left in her name. The lawyer simply said that they can stay
there as long as they looked after Nathalie. When Nathalie gets home
after work every day, she has to warm her food up because they don’t
wait for her and then she still has to wash the dishes.
Chapter 2- Ben
Ben is on the train and wakes up when the train suddenly jolts and the
lady’s apples fall from her lap. Ben gathers them all and the lady smiles
SAHETI School, 2019
Summaries
English Chapter Summaries
Taneil Thompson
, Taneil Thompson
Hoopvol
Derick van der Walt
**Please use these notes with the character summaries I have uploaded
as characters are important and I have not included all the aspects of
every character in these chapter summaries**
PART 1
The book starts with a poem by Enya about hope.
Prologue
On the night that Ben’s house burns down, he runs away and gets on a
train to the fresh product market in Pretoria with his mother, Nathalie’s,
green handbag made of fake ostrich leather. He can’t remember the
smell of his mother’s or sister’s bodies burning due to the fire, the burnt
hair on his arms or the groups of people who surrounded his house. He
does remember Aunty Pop in her blue gown that was screaming. He also
knew that there was nothing left for him in Johannesburg.
Chapter 1- Nathalie
This is set when Nathalie (Ben’s mother) is a young girl. Nathalie works
in hotel Rose and Crown in the Karoo which is owned by Tannie Lettie.
Rose and Crown is an old hotel with wine red mats and a smell of the
many years and many people that have been in the hotel. Hoopvol is a
small town with very little opportunity and a single tar road that runs
through the town. Tannie Lettie and her friend Laetitia, who is the
mayor, have a ritual of meeting at the hotel every day. Tannie Lettie
drinks Brandy and Coke and Laetitia drinks wine. Tannie Lettie orders
that Nathalie gets them some drinks and she says that it is past 6 and
she should have gone home already. Tannie Lettie then manipulates her
and says that when she employed Nathalie she didn’t take her to be a
nine-to-five girl and tells her that she should be grateful that she has a
job in a town like Hoopvol. Nathalie’s parents are dead and Tannie Lettie
speaks to her as if she is her own daughter. Nathalie complains that she
has to wash Mrs. Chalmers’ washing and Lettie asks why she can’t do it
herself. In Hoopvol, as the sun goes down, the residents can be found
watching TV and drinking cheap wine. They will all wake up the next
SAHETI School, 2019
, Taneil Thompson
morning and just have a repeat of the last day. The few privileged
residents live in a suburb called Mielie-se-kop. Religion is important to
Nathalie. Gielie drives past her on his motorbike and invites her to play
pool with him. She says she is tired and has washing to do and says that
she might go the next time. Aalwyn and Tonteldoos are the only two
guest houses owned by Aunty Door and Aunty Mollie who often fight
over the select few guests who come into town. Every Thursday night,
Hoopvol has prayer hour. Nathalie says she envies the people who are
just passer-byers as they are able to leave and go back to Johannesburg
or Pretoria. The people who buy expensive wine that Aunty Breggie buys
with an apple and an onion by Pick ‘n Pay. Even after their matric dance
and after party which were both held on Van Eedens’ farm, they realised
that they were still there, and they weren’t going anywhere. Nathalie
recalls having to watch the rich farmers’ kids go off to university. The
day a friend named Jorrie, got picked up to go to Stellenbosch because
he got a bursary, Nathalie decided that he was the last person they
would say goodbye to. After that, Eddie would get a two-litre and he
would sit in the Rose and Crown or in the church’s little room inside.
Very often girls like Fiona, a sweet and innocent girl, would be seen
going to the back of the hotel with Eddie. A few of them would go to
Beaufort-West with Eddie’s car and drink and laugh all the way down-
but that was all they had. For 13 years, Nathalie lived in a house in Olive
Schreiner Street with her mother and father who managed the plumbing
business in Hoopvol. When she was 13 her parents were in an accident
on Oudtshoorn road and were buried under one gravestone in Hoopvol-
this was 5 years ago. Nathalie was adopted by Mrs Chalmers and Pastor
Chalmers. Mrs Chalmers was a hypocrite as she seemed like a nice lady
on Sundays in front of everyone at church but during the week she
continuously made Nathalie feel guilty. Nathalie was never told that her
house was left in her name. The lawyer simply said that they can stay
there as long as they looked after Nathalie. When Nathalie gets home
after work every day, she has to warm her food up because they don’t
wait for her and then she still has to wash the dishes.
Chapter 2- Ben
Ben is on the train and wakes up when the train suddenly jolts and the
lady’s apples fall from her lap. Ben gathers them all and the lady smiles
SAHETI School, 2019
