This lyrical, haunting memoir recalls the drama and emotion of an exceptional moment in contemporary history: the months surrounding the first democratic elections in South Africa. Beginning with the days of voting, glancing back to the violence at the end of 1993 and forward to the inauguration of President Mandela and beyond, the book addresses the moral issues raised by these events: is it desirable, or possible, to forgive and forget? In searching for an answer, Nicol delves into his family's settler past, into certain of the events that have marked the country's history, and records how lives are touched by major social and political change. Published to commemorate the first anniversary of the elections, The Waiting Country will contribute to the ongoing debate about South Africa's future, and at the same time provide a powerful and unique insight into the lives of ordinary people overtaken by extraordinary events.