This is an excellent time capsule of a particular view of post-apartheid South Africa, raising incredibly complex issues during the course of a relatively short story that is gripping from start to finish.

Every paragraph was packed with issues to ponder. The book serves as a wake-up call for so many who live their lives complacent and without regard for the consequences of their actions.

I wish that I could write like this!

Coetzee has left me with a profound feeling of unease that I should be more morally consistent in my personal life. Somehow, this book stands for everything that postmodernity is not: accepting personal responsibility, acknowledging consequences, and being aware of deeper meanings. . . At the same time the book is clear that there are no easy answers.

I can understand why Coetzee has been awarded so many prizes for this book. Despite his brilliance as a wordsmith, I can't get away from a feeling that this is might be a very well disguised white post-apartheid gripe. The disgrace isn't only about the moral decay in the Professor's life, or the rape of his daughter. One gets the feeling that the state of the entire country is what is really disgraceful. What tips the balance for me against this perspective is that he represents the black people in the story in an extremely stereotypical way that I find deeply disturbing. This, coupled with the fact that Coetzee has jetted-off to live in Australia and now refuses to comment on South Africa speaks volumes.

Coetzee apparently tried frantically to escape South Africa for years, living in the UK for a while, then the USA until they sent him back to Africa. Finally the Australians took him in after his literary successes.

If you want to understand a commonly held version of white anxiety about post-apartheid South Africa then this is for you! Coetzee is a master craftsman who has captured the spirit of a section of the community to perfection.

This is a "must read"!

Written in masterly and flawless way, the reader is left with the feeling that the book imparts an understanding of contemporary South Africa. It presents the situation as a clash of civilisations, with African culture coercing Europeans into either accepting the changes or leaving. However, this does not represent the reality of the situation as a whole. Contrary to what this book conveys, South Africans of all races, religions etc. are working together for reconstruction and development, for mutual benefit. This is having a massive impact for the better on the whole of Africa.

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Created Jun 24, 2007 at 1:49pm • Submit your own review...