Volvoville (Stellenbosch), South Africa

I'm currently reading The Dark Flood, written by South African crime writer Deon Meyer. He's one of my favourite crime writers and one of the many things I love reading his books is how he gives a sense of place simply in a few lines. Okay, so many writers do it, but he's really efficient about it. For instance, he mentioned that the town of Stellenbosch is nicknamed Volvoville by police officer Vaughn Cupido, because many citizens drive Volvos there, apaprently. As Cupido explains: "if the world is your oyster, and you can buy any luxury car, why buy the most boring one known to man? Rich whiteys. I just don't get them." It made me laugh. My mother drove a Volvo for years and for me it was always a solid, reliable brand, but I know it is often perceived as a boring car. Anyway, I now have a pretty good (if somehow unflattering) feeling of Stellenbosch.