What kind of child - Ken Barris (First edition)

Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a tattoo artist living in Cape Town, believes he is five hundred years old. His mind is filled with images of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. But now he is dying, and his last unspoken wish is to chronicle his living years.

When Luke Turner walks into his tiny Long Street studio one morning, Díaz’s wish is answered. Luke is obsessed with becoming an illustrated man, and offers his skin as canvas for Díaz’s dark memories.

On the outskirts of Cape Town, Malibongwe Joyini, born in the margins of life, tries to make a living without means or hope, passing through the city like a ghost in its architecture.

Above, flying pterosaurs hover, silent witnesses in the sky.

What Kind of Child weaves a disquieting tale as three lives intersect in a city that, in reality, is a different world for each of them.