Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

3 reviews

oddreads_nicolestins's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

TL;DR: Not for me.

I'd generally heard great things about Coetzee- so this was a disappointment. Overall the story is not light material. Heavy themes are discussed: sexual assault, consent, traditions/cultural norms surrounding SA as well as the in aftermath.

The MC is a misogynist/classist/predator that gets obsessed easily about the flings he has with everyone but his ex-wife. Because he's the narrator, he explains to us very casually how he stalked the sex worker he frequented, and then how he sexually assaulted one of his students. Creep factor 1000%. So by the time his own daughter gets sexually assaulted, it feels like his karma in a way. (In NO way am I saying that those who've been SA'd deserve it, or that it was "coming to them", but this is how Coetzee has laid out the cards in my opinion. The assailants are at fault, of course. I am not a fan of this narrative.) The rest of the book addresses the narrow-minded MC as he reckons with the situation regarding his daughter, which actually does not amount to much reckoning at all. Other things, like the MC aggressively referring to a female dog as a "bitch" repeatedly in the book (I honestly lost count at the occurrences, 5-10 or more), and describing/comparing his daughter's grown woman body to other women he's known *vomit* really made me want to dnf. I was only invested in his daughter's situation and what happened next.


The writing wasn't bad, but it just wasn't for me. Because it left a bad taste in my mouth, I'm also not interested in reading anymore of Coetzee's work to see what the hubbub is about.
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librarymouse's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have so many feelings and questions about this book. It's so beautifully written. I caught some of the extra detail in the book, but I know there are hundreds of details and references sewn into the book that I've missed on this first read through. One instance that was particularly impactful was the mention of verbena and jonquil on page 177 and pine on page 178, after his visit with the Isaacs. Their respective meanings of prayer or a request to pray for an individual; forgiveness or a desire that affection be returned; and endurance, piety, and hope in adversity add so much to the characterization of David, yet the description of flowers scenting the air fits so neatly into the scene setting that they could comfortably be ignored. David Lurie is intensely easy to dislike, yet there are instances in which he is not quite redeemed, but is humanized and brought out of his self-reflective/self centered stupor. He has a main character complex to the point of near delusion. Despite his continual fall towards lust, he does seem to learn something, though I'm not sure what. He learns loss and grief, learns that he is incapable of compromise in many ways but is capable of letting go of what he cannot control. Coetzee does a fantastic job with these characters and their individual and collective shames.
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nadinemr's review

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slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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