This was a powerful book, extremely well-written, that was depressing and pessimistic about human nature. It was such a contrast to the positivity and joy of life coming from the last book I read, Still Life. Maybe this book suffered a bit from the comparison, but still it was a great read.
The book tells the story of a white family – settlers in South Africa – that disintegrates over time. There are so many bad people in this book that you can’t help but feel a little sad for the human race. Not much redemption in here, and the narrator’s voice is biting, acidic and mocking. There are a few writing tricks that felt superfluous (character switches in mid-sentence for example), but overall the writing pulls you briskly along through this family’s dark history.
You could read this book on the micro level, and explore the characters and see what motivates them and root for their downfall, or you could read this on a macro level and see them as merely symbols and instruments of the tale of the history of race and apartheid in the country over the past 30 years. There is a lot to learn here, especially for people like me who have almost no knowledge of this history.
I liked this book, but found it a jarring experience. I wish I had read this and the previous book in reverse order, but in the end both books and their styles have a place.
After a long run of fiction I’m switching over the Four Thousand Weeks, and non-fiction book on time management by Oliver Burkeman.
