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First reading, 2017 -
To truly understand these four stars, one must understand certain things. Racial tension is, without a doubt, the least interesting subject to me. If you were to ask me out of the blue what the most tedious subject to read about would be, that is likely what would come to mind. It's not that it isn't an important issue that people elsewhere (not me) need to think about and figure out - it most certainly is. But at a certain point, like around second grade, it started to feel like a dead horse that had been beaten until it was just dry bones in the dust, and then beaten even harder until the battered bones themselves became dust. And yet, somehow, the horse is still as alive as ever and galloping around maniacally (it's like a strange phantom horse) while a certain type of person crowds around it to continue beating its ectoplasmic flanks with even more energy.
Anyway.
I share this so that you will understand that this seemed the most unlikely book to hold my attention. It's about South Africa in 1946 - apartheid hasn't been established yet, but inequality has been around for a while, and things aren't going so well, unless you're a white guy with shares in South African gold mines. And even then, you're dealing with strikes, growing slums and shantytowns, rising crime - particularly murders of the native-on-European variety - and it's making it harder to enjoy wallowing in your piles of money. I think writing a story that effectively deals with any sort of social issue, whether off-putting and overdone or not, and that still works as a story, with a gripping plot and characters that seem like real people, must be one of the hardest types of stories to write. But with Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton does it all masterfully. The book that I wasn't supposed to like, and was just reading because it was not only recommended but also given to me... I ended up finishing it in 3 days. It's a beautiful story, with characters that feel alive and that you come to love, and even those you don't get to know as well, you can't help but feel compassion for. The book is wise enough to show that everyone, even the "bad guys," are victims. There is plenty of sorrow, loss, pain, and dehumanization, but there is also hope, forgiveness, and redemption. If you like that sort of thing.
None of this would make a truly great book if the handling of language was lacking, but it has that too. The dialogue is perfect, and so is the narration. I could go into detail, but it would take time and there are more books to read.
It's well worth a read, that's what I'm getting at.
*2nd reading, 2021 -
Somehow, four years ago, I gave this 4 stars. I'm not sure how or why. Because I've since given 5 stars to things that are considerably less magnificent. This book is one of the great books of the English language. One of the must-reads. Many of the great "Classics" are worth the time to push through, but they can still be a bit of a chore. This one, I'm unable to put down once I start, and yet it rewards me as much as any of those much-heralded masterworks that require determination, patience, and perseverance on my part. I've said elsewhere that Paton is the Dostoevsky of South Africa, and that for me personally, he might even surpass the D-man at what he does best. Rereading Paton's first novel, I stand by that.
To truly understand these four stars, one must understand certain things. Racial tension is, without a doubt, the least interesting subject to me. If you were to ask me out of the blue what the most tedious subject to read about would be, that is likely what would come to mind. It's not that it isn't an important issue that people elsewhere (not me) need to think about and figure out - it most certainly is. But at a certain point, like around second grade, it started to feel like a dead horse that had been beaten until it was just dry bones in the dust, and then beaten even harder until the battered bones themselves became dust. And yet, somehow, the horse is still as alive as ever and galloping around maniacally (it's like a strange phantom horse) while a certain type of person crowds around it to continue beating its ectoplasmic flanks with even more energy.
Anyway.
I share this so that you will understand that this seemed the most unlikely book to hold my attention. It's about South Africa in 1946 - apartheid hasn't been established yet, but inequality has been around for a while, and things aren't going so well, unless you're a white guy with shares in South African gold mines. And even then, you're dealing with strikes, growing slums and shantytowns, rising crime - particularly murders of the native-on-European variety - and it's making it harder to enjoy wallowing in your piles of money. I think writing a story that effectively deals with any sort of social issue, whether off-putting and overdone or not, and that still works as a story, with a gripping plot and characters that seem like real people, must be one of the hardest types of stories to write. But with Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton does it all masterfully. The book that I wasn't supposed to like, and was just reading because it was not only recommended but also given to me... I ended up finishing it in 3 days. It's a beautiful story, with characters that feel alive and that you come to love, and even those you don't get to know as well, you can't help but feel compassion for. The book is wise enough to show that everyone, even the "bad guys," are victims. There is plenty of sorrow, loss, pain, and dehumanization, but there is also hope, forgiveness, and redemption. If you like that sort of thing.
None of this would make a truly great book if the handling of language was lacking, but it has that too. The dialogue is perfect, and so is the narration. I could go into detail, but it would take time and there are more books to read.
It's well worth a read, that's what I'm getting at.
*2nd reading, 2021 -
Somehow, four years ago, I gave this 4 stars. I'm not sure how or why. Because I've since given 5 stars to things that are considerably less magnificent. This book is one of the great books of the English language. One of the must-reads. Many of the great "Classics" are worth the time to push through, but they can still be a bit of a chore. This one, I'm unable to put down once I start, and yet it rewards me as much as any of those much-heralded masterworks that require determination, patience, and perseverance on my part. I've said elsewhere that Paton is the Dostoevsky of South Africa, and that for me personally, he might even surpass the D-man at what he does best. Rereading Paton's first novel, I stand by that.
