Ilene R. (planteater) reviewed on 11/2/2010 + 10 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

As others have said, this is an intense, disturbing book. Coetzee's style is spare, and he does not delve much into description of either physical or emotional landscapes. He provides just what's necessary to lay out his tale, and the emotions he evokes seem all the more powerful for the understated way in which they are called forth. The story is told from the perspective of a white South African professor, in his 50's, who has been professionally disgraced, and his relationship with his daughter, Lucy, who must deal with her own form of disgrace, not for anything she has done, but as a legacy of apartheid. Issues of gender and race swirl throughout the book, as well as themes of brutality and love. It is a complex, beautiful book, which can be read quickly, but which will not be forgotten soon.

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