Patrick Flanery: Absolution

[leyla]

Flanery is American in origin, though his brilliant debut is set in South Africa and I believe he may have British citizenship. Am hoping that means this book is eligible for the Man Booker, because it's stunning. I'll post my review once it's been published.

[leyla]

Here's my review in The Indy of Patrick Flanery's Absolution, the best book I've ever read about South Africa. It's one of my top five books of 2012 so far, the others being Mountains of the Moon (I.J.Kay); Every Contact Leaves a Trace (Elanor Dymott); Homesick (Roshi Fernando) and Alys, Always (Harriet Lane.)

As always, review is about a quarter the length it would be if I'd been allowed to be my verbose self.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...y-7586222.html

[Liam]

The book will be published in the US on April 12:

[leyla]

I like that cover, Liam. It captures the contrast between old and new, tradition and capitalism. It's a great book, I think you'll like.

[Liam]

Haha, I took a South African Lit class as an undergrad and their literature is SO depressing, no exceptions, that when I saw your post I thought, Interesting, but I've read enough about S. A. to last me a lifetime.

[leyla]

:-)Well, if you were forced to read endless Doris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer, I can understand your reticence. But this is a brilliant book about human nature as well as about South Africa - the way some people see what they want to see. And it's also a very moving story about individuals and their lives. Maybe I'll persuade you yet, Liam :-)