Synopsis

Any description of what the book is about might spoil it for the reader. I therefore decided not to copy the synopsis on the back cover. Whoever wrote that totally missed the point anyway.

On the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List.

(Bought second-hand at Book Wise Exchange, High Street, Bellville.)

If one wants to sit down with a relaxing book to read, JM Coetzee would not typically be one's author of choice. But then, as it is with getting the body fit (hitting the trails and running tends to produce better results than watching trail running on TV) one needs to reach for the meatier stuff in order to stretch the mind.

I don't want to say too much about the book, as it might distract from what another reader will glean from a fresh and unbiased reading of it.

It is a slim novel with a solid impact. The story is told by a unique person, ostensibly isolated from wider social contact and stimulation, who lives an internalised life. It is one of those books that grips the reader on page 1 and won't let go till the end.

"The voices speak: 'Lacking all external enemies and resistances, confined within an oppressive narrowness and regularity, man at last has no choice but to turn himself into an adventure.'"

Is this what happened here? I'll leave it to you to decide.

Given to potential BCer RP.

If you are new to BookCrossing and found this book, welcome! Enjoy the site, the book, and the BookCrossing community.

Whether you decide to join or not, please make a journal entry — now, and again when you decide to release the book to continue its journey.