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A review by marcatili
Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes
2.0
The pitch of this book got my attention: a luxury building estate on the edges of Cape Town stalled because of a swarming insect infestation, and the protagonist, Katya Grubbs, called in to resolve the problem. With a title like Nineveh, I was imagining a struggle of practically biblical proportions.
The book does deliver is a story of nature pushing back against human expansion. It's a story of the ways in which our attempts to claim the natural landscape can be thwarted. Even the most civilised and cultivated of places are an illusion, revealing hidden 'pests' when looked at deeper. This is the setup for another story; that of a woman coming to terms with her relationship with her family and, in particular, her father. Coming to terms with who she is, and how similar she is to the father she has avoided for seven years. Permeation through barriers and walls is a strong theme throughout.
Despite being thematically interesting, the plot itself was a bit slow (despite being a quick read) and the actual infestation doesn't turn up until the last quarter of the book. This left me feeling unsure of where the novel was heading and why it should be interesting. Some of the characters were vivid – Toby and Mr. Brand, even the estranged father when he features in flashbacks – but I did find myself skimming along to get to the end.
The book does deliver is a story of nature pushing back against human expansion. It's a story of the ways in which our attempts to claim the natural landscape can be thwarted. Even the most civilised and cultivated of places are an illusion, revealing hidden 'pests' when looked at deeper. This is the setup for another story; that of a woman coming to terms with her relationship with her family and, in particular, her father. Coming to terms with who she is, and how similar she is to the father she has avoided for seven years. Permeation through barriers and walls is a strong theme throughout.
Despite being thematically interesting, the plot itself was a bit slow (despite being a quick read) and the actual infestation doesn't turn up until the last quarter of the book. This left me feeling unsure of where the novel was heading and why it should be interesting. Some of the characters were vivid – Toby and Mr. Brand, even the estranged father when he features in flashbacks – but I did find myself skimming along to get to the end.