Scan barcode
kendallbehr's review
2.0
While this review is very retrospective and I don't remember all of the book in detail, I have read a lot of South African literature after reading this, which I feel makes my dislike for The Beneficiaries less of a knee-jerk reaction. I read this as a matric set work in 2014 and it really put me off reading local literature for a long time. Lally and Pim felt like straw characters rather than anyone I could relate to, and their struggles seemed quite selfish. Maybe they makes the text realistic about a lot of white South Africa? Still, in my opinion there are far better books about apartheid and its effects that don't feel so self-indulgent and white-focused.
squish's review
3.0
A really worthwhile book. It was an insight into history both during and post-Apartheid (history that I find is often not talked about because it is too sensitive - but history that must be talked about) that provoked a lot of interesting thought and discussion about identity as a white South African and gave me a lot of things to consider about where South Africa currently stands.
The book is quite slow and I found the plot to be fairly anticlimactic and open ended, but the book’s value lies more in its detail and discussion than in the story.
My greatest hang up about the book would be the deadly combination of the author’s inability to describe sex in a way that isn’t completely disgusting and creepily mechanical as well as the appearance of said descriptions in probably a good fifth of the chapters. My skin is still crawling.
Nevertheless, I would recommend the book to any young, white South Africans and anyone who is interested in an immersive, emotional perspective of South African history. I think a novel is an excellent way of conveying discussion that is not very readily had, considering many people still have such painful memories fresh in their minds
The book is quite slow and I found the plot to be fairly anticlimactic and open ended, but the book’s value lies more in its detail and discussion than in the story.
My greatest hang up about the book would be the deadly combination of the author’s inability to describe sex in a way that isn’t completely disgusting and creepily mechanical as well as the appearance of said descriptions in probably a good fifth of the chapters. My skin is still crawling.
Nevertheless, I would recommend the book to any young, white South Africans and anyone who is interested in an immersive, emotional perspective of South African history. I think a novel is an excellent way of conveying discussion that is not very readily had, considering many people still have such painful memories fresh in their minds
More...