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outtiegw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
johnhodges's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kelskels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
adam613's review against another edition
5.0
"His ambivalence was genuine; there seemed to be both a radical and reactionary buried in him. More than anything, it was a fault line in his psyche that he thought of as his new South African self."
"He has moved here, to the countryside, because he wanted to speak with a childlike simplicity about nature, but he finally understands he's been deserted by that voice. A great complexity has sprung between him and the world."
Adam has moved to the countryside after losing his home and job in the city. After he meets a friend from his past, a darker part of Adam's story begins to unfold. Before long, his relationship with Channing leads to a claustrophobic psyche mixed wtih dire consequences for the humans and the land. Amid a changing South Africa, Damon Galgut masterfully weaves through the personal lives of the characters, with South Africa always playing the main character. This story could not have been set anywhere else and once again, Galgut proves why he is one of South Africa's most important writers in the literary world.
"It comes to him that time is the great, distorting lens. Up close, human life is a catalogue of pain and power, but when enough time has gone past, everything ceases to matter. Nothing that people do to each other will carry any moral charge eventually. History is just like the ground down there: something neutral and observable, a pattern, a shape."
"He has moved here, to the countryside, because he wanted to speak with a childlike simplicity about nature, but he finally understands he's been deserted by that voice. A great complexity has sprung between him and the world."
Adam has moved to the countryside after losing his home and job in the city. After he meets a friend from his past, a darker part of Adam's story begins to unfold. Before long, his relationship with Channing leads to a claustrophobic psyche mixed wtih dire consequences for the humans and the land. Amid a changing South Africa, Damon Galgut masterfully weaves through the personal lives of the characters, with South Africa always playing the main character. This story could not have been set anywhere else and once again, Galgut proves why he is one of South Africa's most important writers in the literary world.
"It comes to him that time is the great, distorting lens. Up close, human life is a catalogue of pain and power, but when enough time has gone past, everything ceases to matter. Nothing that people do to each other will carry any moral charge eventually. History is just like the ground down there: something neutral and observable, a pattern, a shape."
t_m41's review against another edition
3.0
A good read but somehow not quite complete in its storytelling. The good work of a great writer...
lindapilko's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed this book which provided some interesting insights into South Africa.
kalinagwaj's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall, I liked this book but I wish it was more intense, unsettling, mysterious, corrupt etc.
chalotte23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0