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Red Dust
"Written with the pace of a thriller"—Times Literary Supplement. Red Dust is set in a rural South African town, where three people are about to meet their past. Sarah Barcant has left her law career in New York to assist an old friend as prosecutor on a Truth Commission hearing. Dirk Hendricks, a former police deputy, is being taken in handcuffs to the station where he once worked. There he will confront Alex Mpondo, the man he had tortured, who is now an MP.
350 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Gillian Slovo
32 books41 followersNovelist Gillian Slovo was born in 1952 in South Africa, the daughter of Joe Slovo, leader of the South African Communist party, and Ruth First, a journalist who was murdered in 1982.
Gillian Slovo has lived in England since 1964, working as a writer, journalist and film producer. Her first novel, Morbid Symptoms (1984), began a series of crime fiction featuring female detective Kate Baeier. Other novels in the series include Death by Analysis (1986), Death Comes Staccato (1987), Catnap (1994) and Close Call (1995). Her other novels include Ties of Blood (1989), The Betrayal (1991) and Red Dust (2000), a courtroom drama set in contemporary South Africa, which explores the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Gillian Slovo has lived in England since 1964, working as a writer, journalist and film producer. Her first novel, Morbid Symptoms (1984), began a series of crime fiction featuring female detective Kate Baeier. Other novels in the series include Death by Analysis (1986), Death Comes Staccato (1987), Catnap (1994) and Close Call (1995). Her other novels include Ties of Blood (1989), The Betrayal (1991) and Red Dust (2000), a courtroom drama set in contemporary South Africa, which explores the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 28, 2022
“Look into the fear in ordinary white eyes and you will understand [B]lack hatred.”
4/5 stars
What is the truth? And does it really set you free? These are the questions that Gillian Slovo asks with her novel, ‘Red Dust’, which is a fictional tale based on the true events of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was formed to get the truth out in the open and grant those who testified amnesty for their crimes. For those who don’t know, Gillian Slovo is the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and her mother was killed for this. So, with that being said, the TRC is something that is very personal to her and she also has intricate, first hand knowledge of the proceedings that are shown in the novel, which I liked.
Up until chapter 21, it was fairly hard for me to be invested; there is a lot of setting up of the characters and, in my opinion, unnecessary details about our main character, Sarah’s, feelings toward her home country of South Africa and her relationship with her mentor, Ben Hoffman. The details that were provided about these topics weren’t really relevant to the plot and, in the end, didn’t add anything of substance. I sort of feel like this novel was therapeutic for Gillian in a way and that, perhaps, Sarah is supposed to be representative of her and her own feelings toward her native country. However, my point still stands about its relevance to the plot. It just made the first 20 chapters drag on and on for me. This is what took off the fifth star.
Chapter 21 onward was a different story, and one I was fully invested in. I ripped through the pages and really wanted to know the truth about what happened. This novel also made me angry about the ways in which post-apartheid hearings were held. I know and understand that I am reading from a Black American perspective, but having people, especially white torturers, tell the truth and be able to possibly get amnesty from that is appalling to me for many reasons. The first being that just because they say they are telling the truth, does not necessarily mean that they are.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and I’ll most likely read it again. I learned something I didn’t know about South African history and was also compelled to sit and think about the meaning of the word “truth” and what exactly that entails as well as the reflect upon the question of whether or not its okay to lie and, if so, when that is an appropriate choice.
4/5 stars
What is the truth? And does it really set you free? These are the questions that Gillian Slovo asks with her novel, ‘Red Dust’, which is a fictional tale based on the true events of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was formed to get the truth out in the open and grant those who testified amnesty for their crimes. For those who don’t know, Gillian Slovo is the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and her mother was killed for this. So, with that being said, the TRC is something that is very personal to her and she also has intricate, first hand knowledge of the proceedings that are shown in the novel, which I liked.
Up until chapter 21, it was fairly hard for me to be invested; there is a lot of setting up of the characters and, in my opinion, unnecessary details about our main character, Sarah’s, feelings toward her home country of South Africa and her relationship with her mentor, Ben Hoffman. The details that were provided about these topics weren’t really relevant to the plot and, in the end, didn’t add anything of substance. I sort of feel like this novel was therapeutic for Gillian in a way and that, perhaps, Sarah is supposed to be representative of her and her own feelings toward her native country. However, my point still stands about its relevance to the plot. It just made the first 20 chapters drag on and on for me. This is what took off the fifth star.
Chapter 21 onward was a different story, and one I was fully invested in. I ripped through the pages and really wanted to know the truth about what happened. This novel also made me angry about the ways in which post-apartheid hearings were held. I know and understand that I am reading from a Black American perspective, but having people, especially white torturers, tell the truth and be able to possibly get amnesty from that is appalling to me for many reasons. The first being that just because they say they are telling the truth, does not necessarily mean that they are.
Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and I’ll most likely read it again. I learned something I didn’t know about South African history and was also compelled to sit and think about the meaning of the word “truth” and what exactly that entails as well as the reflect upon the question of whether or not its okay to lie and, if so, when that is an appropriate choice.
March 27, 2015
Important topic, poorly written novel. The ideas are compelling, but the writing and style of the book fell flat. Gillian Slovo may have a personal connection to the subject matter, but her sloppy execution of Red Dust makes the topic of post-Apartheid South Africa unappealing. I'd be interested in reading literature about the Apartheid from a skilled author.
September 10, 2023
⭐️⭐️,5 Sterne
Ich habe mich etwas schwer mit dem Buch getan. Die Thematik, die hier behandelt wird, ist von großer Bedeutung und die Idee der Handlungsstränge war gut durchdacht. Leider war die Umsetzung etwas zäh... Oftmals bin ich mit den Charakteren im Buch durcheinandergekommen und habe lange gebraucht, um in die Geschichte einzutauchen. Es fiel mir schwer, eine wirkliche Verbindung zu den Charakteren im Buch aufzubauen, und die Spannung war leider kaum vorhanden.
Es ist schade, aber manchmal passiert das eben.
Ich habe mich etwas schwer mit dem Buch getan. Die Thematik, die hier behandelt wird, ist von großer Bedeutung und die Idee der Handlungsstränge war gut durchdacht. Leider war die Umsetzung etwas zäh... Oftmals bin ich mit den Charakteren im Buch durcheinandergekommen und habe lange gebraucht, um in die Geschichte einzutauchen. Es fiel mir schwer, eine wirkliche Verbindung zu den Charakteren im Buch aufzubauen, und die Spannung war leider kaum vorhanden.
Es ist schade, aber manchmal passiert das eben.
January 14, 2014
Gillian Slovo's Red Dust is a gripping novel with the emotional pace and intensity of a thriller.
Sarah Barcant, now a top New York lawyer, is called back to her home town Smitsrivier by her old mentor Ben Hoffman as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) comes to town. The now frail Hoffman enlists her to help a grieving elderly couple to find out where their son Steve is buried.
Slovo skillfully brings to life the town and its people - Sarah, Ben and his wife Anna, Alex Mpondo (former torture victim, now MP), James Sizela (upright headmaster and grieving father), Dirk Hendricks and Pieter Muller former policemen and torturers and Pieters wife Marie as both unknowing and complicit.
Eschewing cardboard cut out answers, Slovo explores emotional fallout of past atrocities and injustice. She asks hard questions about the scope and effectiveness of TRC, the nature of justice, truth and reconciliation, that are all the more poignant for knowing Slovo's own personal experience with the TRC and her encounters with unrepentant man responsible for her mother's death.(Her mother Ruth First being killed by letter bomb sent by South African police.)
This is a powerful book that left me pondering.
Sarah Barcant, now a top New York lawyer, is called back to her home town Smitsrivier by her old mentor Ben Hoffman as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) comes to town. The now frail Hoffman enlists her to help a grieving elderly couple to find out where their son Steve is buried.
Slovo skillfully brings to life the town and its people - Sarah, Ben and his wife Anna, Alex Mpondo (former torture victim, now MP), James Sizela (upright headmaster and grieving father), Dirk Hendricks and Pieter Muller former policemen and torturers and Pieters wife Marie as both unknowing and complicit.
Eschewing cardboard cut out answers, Slovo explores emotional fallout of past atrocities and injustice. She asks hard questions about the scope and effectiveness of TRC, the nature of justice, truth and reconciliation, that are all the more poignant for knowing Slovo's own personal experience with the TRC and her encounters with unrepentant man responsible for her mother's death.(Her mother Ruth First being killed by letter bomb sent by South African police.)
This is a powerful book that left me pondering.
January 20, 2016
I think this is a very good drama novel, it’s well-written and it shows you how deep racism actually goes. It isn’t just discriminating people, which is already bad, but it was even torturing people, which is unbelievable in our point and time. It’s awful to see how people’s lifes are infected by traumas and memories even in the present. And this book shows you how hard it actually is to accuse someone of something you are almost certain that’s true, but where is just not enough evidence for, and the steps it takes to even interview that human who’s not cooperating at all. I think this is a wonderful, powerful, important, ingenious, novel.
It was actually the first English book I read, we were on a holiday and I ran out of Dutch books, so I read this book after my dad finished reading it. And after that I bought some more!
It was actually the first English book I read, we were on a holiday and I ran out of Dutch books, so I read this book after my dad finished reading it. And after that I bought some more!
March 20, 2018
I am rating this book 3 stars and that is generous. The reason is that I did learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post Apartheid South Africa. This being an important topic, I thought the novel itself was not too inspiring and I didn't like some of the characters, as I really " did not get to know" them for me to be involved in the story. The writing style also, leaves something to be desired.
October 7, 2012
This is a powerful novel dealing with the complexities of truth and reconciliation, set in South Africa. The author is the daughter of activist parents who fought against Apartheid in South Africa. I highly recommend this novel. Now, I am very interested in reading her memoir.
February 5, 2008
An interesting portrait of post-Apartheid South Africa, if somewhat bleak.
February 19, 2013
The search for the truth does not neccessarily lead to justice, it evokes painful memories and does not offer redemption. i found the subject intersting, but the prose rather dull.
May 18, 2018
Il faut que je parte. Je ne peux plus rester ici. Je suffoque. Je souffre. Mon entourage m’oppresse. Je visite toujours les mêmes endroits. Je respire les mêmes odeurs. Oui, il faut que je parte… Mais le faut-il vraiment ?
Peut-on fuir le passé ? Est-il possible de tout laisser derrière soi, de tourner le dos à son enfance ? Sarah Barcant pense pouvoir le faire. Elle décide de quitter la petite ville de Smitsrivier en Afrique du Sud pour poursuivre des études de droit aux États-Unis. Devenue procureur de renom à New York, elle y mène une vie confortable, partagée entre son travail et les nombreuses distractions qu’offre la Big Apple. Mais son passé refuse de déclarer forfait. Un coup de téléphone va bouleverser la vie de Sarah l’obligeant à faire face à tous les souvenirs qu’elle avait pourtant pris grand soin de ranger au fond d’un tiroir. Ben Hoffman, son ami et mentor, demande son aide pour une affaire importante. Dirk Hendricks, un ex-policier blanc qui purge depuis plusieurs années une peine d’emprisonnement pour avoir torturé le « terroriste » noir Alex Mpondo, vient de déposer une demande d’amnistie devant la Commission Vérité et Réconciliation. James Sizela, directeur d’école, y voit une occasion unique pour tenter, lors de l’audition, de récolter des indices sur la disparition de près de quinze ans de son fils Steve, ancien compagnon de lutte de Mpondo. Il fait alors appel à Hoffman. Mais le vieil avocat, malade et affaibli par les années de lutte judiciaire pour le salut du peuple sud-africain, demande à Sarah Barcant de prendre la relève. Elle accède à sa requête et revient dans sa ville natale.
Au-delà de l’intrigue judiciaire plutôt classique, ce roman puise son originalité dans les retrouvailles d’une jeune femme avec une terre dont la moindre poussière rouge porte en elle le sang et les larmes des victimes de l’apartheid. Tout en évitant de tomber dans le discours moralisateur que l’on retrouve souvent dans les livres traitant du sujet, Gillian Slovo, la fille de Joe Slovo, ancien président du parti communiste sud-africain, trace le destin tragique de deux peuples qui ont en commun l’amour de l’Afrique. À travers la confrontation entre Hendricks et Mpondo, l’auteur attire notre attention sur la fragilité de la frontière entre l’oppresseur et l’oppressé, condamnant sans équivoque l’obéissance aveugle aux lois. La phrase de la philosophe française Simone Weil (1909-1943) – « L’obéissance à un homme dont l’autorité n’est pas illuminée de légitimité, c’est un cauchemar » – surgit ainsi à chacune des pages de ce récit passionnant de la nouvelle société sud-africaine.
Peut-on fuir le passé ? Est-il possible de tout laisser derrière soi, de tourner le dos à son enfance ? Sarah Barcant pense pouvoir le faire. Elle décide de quitter la petite ville de Smitsrivier en Afrique du Sud pour poursuivre des études de droit aux États-Unis. Devenue procureur de renom à New York, elle y mène une vie confortable, partagée entre son travail et les nombreuses distractions qu’offre la Big Apple. Mais son passé refuse de déclarer forfait. Un coup de téléphone va bouleverser la vie de Sarah l’obligeant à faire face à tous les souvenirs qu’elle avait pourtant pris grand soin de ranger au fond d’un tiroir. Ben Hoffman, son ami et mentor, demande son aide pour une affaire importante. Dirk Hendricks, un ex-policier blanc qui purge depuis plusieurs années une peine d’emprisonnement pour avoir torturé le « terroriste » noir Alex Mpondo, vient de déposer une demande d’amnistie devant la Commission Vérité et Réconciliation. James Sizela, directeur d’école, y voit une occasion unique pour tenter, lors de l’audition, de récolter des indices sur la disparition de près de quinze ans de son fils Steve, ancien compagnon de lutte de Mpondo. Il fait alors appel à Hoffman. Mais le vieil avocat, malade et affaibli par les années de lutte judiciaire pour le salut du peuple sud-africain, demande à Sarah Barcant de prendre la relève. Elle accède à sa requête et revient dans sa ville natale.
Au-delà de l’intrigue judiciaire plutôt classique, ce roman puise son originalité dans les retrouvailles d’une jeune femme avec une terre dont la moindre poussière rouge porte en elle le sang et les larmes des victimes de l’apartheid. Tout en évitant de tomber dans le discours moralisateur que l’on retrouve souvent dans les livres traitant du sujet, Gillian Slovo, la fille de Joe Slovo, ancien président du parti communiste sud-africain, trace le destin tragique de deux peuples qui ont en commun l’amour de l’Afrique. À travers la confrontation entre Hendricks et Mpondo, l’auteur attire notre attention sur la fragilité de la frontière entre l’oppresseur et l’oppressé, condamnant sans équivoque l’obéissance aveugle aux lois. La phrase de la philosophe française Simone Weil (1909-1943) – « L’obéissance à un homme dont l’autorité n’est pas illuminée de légitimité, c’est un cauchemar » – surgit ainsi à chacune des pages de ce récit passionnant de la nouvelle société sud-africaine.
December 10, 2022
This is an excellent thriller, gripping from beginning to end. The story—set in the mid-90s—is of a lawyer, Sarah, returning from NYC to her hometown in South Africa, at the request of her mentor, Ben. She will represent Alex in his objection to the Truth Commission granting amnesty to his former torturer from the apartheid era of South Africa.
Slovo tells this story from many POVs, the lawyer, Alex, Ben, Ben's wife, and most interestingly, from the viewpoint of Alex's torturer and his boss, who killed Alex's friend and comrade, Steve. Steve's parents are trying to use this court case to find the body of their son. Steve's father has a POV chapter or two also.
With the multi-layered POV format, we are taken on an interesting journey into South Africa's dark, apartheid past and this makes the book fascinating, while the thriller aspects make it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The descriptions of South Africa, the terrain, and the town are exquisite, bringing to life the realities of living in a small town in South Africa.
The ending is surprising, clarifying, and enthralling. Slovo is an excellent writer, who kept me engaged until the final page.
Slovo tells this story from many POVs, the lawyer, Alex, Ben, Ben's wife, and most interestingly, from the viewpoint of Alex's torturer and his boss, who killed Alex's friend and comrade, Steve. Steve's parents are trying to use this court case to find the body of their son. Steve's father has a POV chapter or two also.
With the multi-layered POV format, we are taken on an interesting journey into South Africa's dark, apartheid past and this makes the book fascinating, while the thriller aspects make it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The descriptions of South Africa, the terrain, and the town are exquisite, bringing to life the realities of living in a small town in South Africa.
The ending is surprising, clarifying, and enthralling. Slovo is an excellent writer, who kept me engaged until the final page.
August 26, 2023
Unquiet and grave: set at the time of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Red Dust contemplates whether South Africa traded justice for peace as a hot shot New York lawyer, and a one-time freedom fighter now an MP with a dreadful secret, return to their roots in Smitsrivier, the epitome of a forgotten town far from the media bright lights, political hothouses and chatterati of the big cities. It’s a compelling, if uneasy read - people confronted with a past they’d rather stayed buried - literally - and the genuiness of confessions, those exacted under torture by the brutal apart-hate state, and those elicited by the commission with the promise of forgiveness - and sometimes Slovo’s journalistic prose is overwhelmed by the load it has to carry, whilst the twin dénouements, one predictable but shocking, the other unexpected and a little bathetic, sum up this uneven yet fascinating book. Nevertheless, it makes a strong case for perfect not being the enemy of good.
September 12, 2019
I thought this was an interesting read. I didn't know anything about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, so I enjoyed learning about the process through this novel. It's very different from the Canadian TRC, which focused on the survivors and their testimonies about residential school. The South African TRC was more about amnesty hearings for the perpetrators.
The writing is good and the descriptions of the country are solid. The plot is pretty complex and there's some suspense but not alot. I think the author is more focused on exploring the concept of truth and whether it's possible for individuals to reconcile after being part of a dehumanizing social system like apartheid than she is on crafting a dramatic thriller. I like that her characters didn't all get to the same place in terms of reconciliation in the end - that felt quite real to me.
The writing is good and the descriptions of the country are solid. The plot is pretty complex and there's some suspense but not alot. I think the author is more focused on exploring the concept of truth and whether it's possible for individuals to reconcile after being part of a dehumanizing social system like apartheid than she is on crafting a dramatic thriller. I like that her characters didn't all get to the same place in terms of reconciliation in the end - that felt quite real to me.
March 10, 2018
In 1985 to black "revolutionaries" are questioned by the police, one of them dies. In 2000 the case is subject of an amnesty hearing in the Court of Truth and Reconciliation. Alex Mpondo faces his torturer Dirk Hendriks and James Sizela hopes to learn the whereabouts of his son's body presumed dead at the hands of Pieter Muller, who still lives in the community. The tale shifts between the victims, the defendants and their lawyers. It explores the layers of guilt and responsibility, for acts and omissions real or perceived and how these things fit into the narrative we build for our lives and how we deal with inevitable contradictions.
February 12, 2018
I liked the theme of the book and I learned more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commision and the society in South Africa nowadays. However, I really did not enjoy the writing style as well as the characters. Even though you get an insight in all of the character's thoughts I did not really get to know them and their 'true' personality. All in all, the book was OK to read since the topic is really fascinating and the history as well as the present of South Africa is very interesting but apart from that the book was not that good.
April 11, 2022
3.5/5 stars
A good book about an interesting, fictional case. I thought the different POVs were quite well done throughout the novel, though sometimes I wish that more steps had been taken to make the voices more different. While the prose was overall average, there were some moments of brilliance and the author approaches the serious topics of the novel with respect. I only wish that the author had kept the relationship between the two main characters platonic instead of adding some romance/sex artificially at the end. A nice novel.
A good book about an interesting, fictional case. I thought the different POVs were quite well done throughout the novel, though sometimes I wish that more steps had been taken to make the voices more different. While the prose was overall average, there were some moments of brilliance and the author approaches the serious topics of the novel with respect. I only wish that the author had kept the relationship between the two main characters platonic instead of adding some romance/sex artificially at the end. A nice novel.
June 6, 2021
This is a heart breaking recount of the end to aparttide in South Africa. A black man arrested with his friend is trying to remember once they were in jail. Freedom is being offered to the white men in charge of the torture if they will recount all that happened. This opens the mind of the tortured so that he remembers what happened and though it was awful he gains peace.
December 6, 2020
Trial set around the South African Truth Commission which was established to let war criminals admit guilt and be pardoned. Tees up all the issues around which actions contributed to crimes and what it takes to cause people to commit crimes easy to read and pulls you in quickly
May 29, 2021
Really enjoyed this book as nd can see why it has been turned into a fil - it's fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns. It describes a complex South Africa with its challenges of history and culture. Fascinating!
October 3, 2017
Aanbevolen door Luc De Vos. Met plezier gelezen, maar niet van aard om meer te willen lezen van deze auteur.
August 31, 2021
boek over Zuid-Afrika in tijd van waarheidscommissie
September 8, 2023
Red Dust by Gillian Slovo immerses readers in the tumultuous world of South Africa during its Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with its painful past, the story follows the journey of Sarah Barcant, a lawyer who returns to South Africa to participate in the Commission. Slovo paints a vivid picture of a country still deeply scarred by apartheid, where the wounds of the past run deep, and justice is a complex and elusive goal ( and that maybe that may not be the goal of the commission afterall).
Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with its painful past, the story follows the journey of Sarah Barcant, a lawyer who returns to South Africa to participate in the Commission. Slovo paints a vivid picture of a country still deeply scarred by apartheid, where the wounds of the past run deep, and justice is a complex and elusive goal ( and that maybe that may not be the goal of the commission afterall).
April 22, 2012
A stirring novel, possibly but not explicitly based on true events.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee in South Africa has come into being in 1996.
In this case, they are trying to disclose the events after the arrest of two black “revolutionaries” in 1985, one sure crime having been torture, which for one man is believed to have resulted in his death.
Eventually, it seems less a question of what really happened to whom, and more a question of who has an interest in telling the truth, and which interest, and who would be capable of accepting the truth, and who would, taking their own personal guilt and doubt into consideration, really want to know the truth being exposed to everybody – and whether any of this could change the years of suffering and help with the mourning.
Furthermore, the truth in this book seems to be very little “black and white” and more subject to personal circumstances, society and government, which as the story is set in South Africa, quickly does turn back into a question of “black and white”.
It is an intense account of victim-torturer psychology, as well as showing in a very authentic and believable way the many different perspectives not only of black and white people, but also of insiders and outsiders, of future and past oriented characters.
What I believe to have understood from this novel and its approach to the problem is that the past cannot be changed, and that, rather than trying for individual revenge, a “society-wide reconciliation” is believed to be the best solution for South Africa to come to terms with its history.
I should like to find out, as this book dates from the year 2000, which progress has been made in this direction.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee in South Africa has come into being in 1996.
In this case, they are trying to disclose the events after the arrest of two black “revolutionaries” in 1985, one sure crime having been torture, which for one man is believed to have resulted in his death.
Eventually, it seems less a question of what really happened to whom, and more a question of who has an interest in telling the truth, and which interest, and who would be capable of accepting the truth, and who would, taking their own personal guilt and doubt into consideration, really want to know the truth being exposed to everybody – and whether any of this could change the years of suffering and help with the mourning.
Furthermore, the truth in this book seems to be very little “black and white” and more subject to personal circumstances, society and government, which as the story is set in South Africa, quickly does turn back into a question of “black and white”.
It is an intense account of victim-torturer psychology, as well as showing in a very authentic and believable way the many different perspectives not only of black and white people, but also of insiders and outsiders, of future and past oriented characters.
What I believe to have understood from this novel and its approach to the problem is that the past cannot be changed, and that, rather than trying for individual revenge, a “society-wide reconciliation” is believed to be the best solution for South Africa to come to terms with its history.
I should like to find out, as this book dates from the year 2000, which progress has been made in this direction.
June 10, 2011
This book took me to South Africa. This is about an amnesty trial between a former interrogator and a former victim, where the former interrogator seems to know something about the death of another victim, that happened more than a decade ago. And there are multiple parties involved, trying to uncover what really happened in the summer of 1985.
Being that this book was written with an omniscient narrator, the reader had full access to what really happened, and the focus shifts from the happening but to how the characters perceived things as happening. Thus, this book was more than an account of a truth and fact-finding commission hearing between a black and a white man, but it was more a novel about truth itself. The book makes it clear that there are times in which people really cannot discern what is the truth. Instead, the truth boils down to what people think they believe in, and what people want to believe in. Multiple events in the book showcase this, such as the trial proceedings, and the final act by the wife of Pieter Muller.
I suppose I can say that I enjoyed reading this book. The narrative was very easy to comprehend, and the book was suspenseful enough to keep me preoccupied. And at the same time, it wasn't like an airport novel, the novel actually had a substantial topic that it was tackling. The only thing lacking I suppose is the personal interest: I find the topic interesting and profound, but it doesn't hit home like my other novels that I have read and that I have rated the best. So I suppose this novel only gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
Being that this book was written with an omniscient narrator, the reader had full access to what really happened, and the focus shifts from the happening but to how the characters perceived things as happening. Thus, this book was more than an account of a truth and fact-finding commission hearing between a black and a white man, but it was more a novel about truth itself. The book makes it clear that there are times in which people really cannot discern what is the truth. Instead, the truth boils down to what people think they believe in, and what people want to believe in. Multiple events in the book showcase this, such as the trial proceedings, and the final act by the wife of Pieter Muller.
I suppose I can say that I enjoyed reading this book. The narrative was very easy to comprehend, and the book was suspenseful enough to keep me preoccupied. And at the same time, it wasn't like an airport novel, the novel actually had a substantial topic that it was tackling. The only thing lacking I suppose is the personal interest: I find the topic interesting and profound, but it doesn't hit home like my other novels that I have read and that I have rated the best. So I suppose this novel only gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
April 28, 2009
Published in 2000, this novel set in post-Apartheid South Africa is amazingly relevant to today's discussions of torture. Questions about the morality of torture, the efficacy, the effects on the torturer and the tortured, the bond formed between them, can they move on? forgive and be forgiven? how does the country move on. Even a discussion of something that sounds a bit like water boarding and also the stripping of the prisoners to humiliate. The book is really about the attempts of the characters to come to grips with the past; the focus is not on chronicling the torture. In other words, the squeamish need not worry.
December 13, 2012
I read this after hearing Gillian Slovo interviewed on the BBC World Book Club. Slovo's personal history -- her parents were anti-apartheid activists, and her mother was murdered -- gives her a unique perspective on contemporary South Africa. Set in a small South African town during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, the novel makes the reader go beyond the clichés and think about the meaning of justice, truth, and reconciliation in the context of oppression, torture, and death, as well as recognizing the far-reaching consequences for everyone -- victims, torturers, families -- of South Africa's past and its attempts to come to terms with it.
August 6, 2012
Wow.
I loved the movie & could tell it must have come from a really good book.
Usually I'd give it a year or more to forget some of the plot before reading the book, but I stumbled on Red Dust at a yard sale, and once it was in my house I couldn't resist picking it up.
The writing, plot and characters are so strong that it didn't matter very much if I already knew what was coming. And in this case, even if you've seen the movie, there are still a few big surprises left at the end of the book.
Will definitely read more Slovo in the future.
I loved the movie & could tell it must have come from a really good book.
Usually I'd give it a year or more to forget some of the plot before reading the book, but I stumbled on Red Dust at a yard sale, and once it was in my house I couldn't resist picking it up.
The writing, plot and characters are so strong that it didn't matter very much if I already knew what was coming. And in this case, even if you've seen the movie, there are still a few big surprises left at the end of the book.
Will definitely read more Slovo in the future.
January 19, 2008
Gillian Slovo's mother was killed by "revolutionaries" in South Africa during Apartheid. Her dad sat on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and had to determine whether or not his dead wife's killer was motivated for political reasons. This story is not autobiographical, but explores what happens when the Truth Commission comes to town and how that helps or hurts a community deal with/get over a tragic time period. I highly recommend this book. It's also a courtroom thriller.
October 22, 2012
Gillian Slovo has written a courtroom drama which brings apartheid victims and a deputy police chief together during the Truth and Reconciliation process in a make believe South African town. It's a quick read, chilling in parts. While the Truth Commission of the post-apartheid South Africa is full of possibility, Slovo admits the cynicism of the process, leaving me with much to consider.
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