#Collaboreads Banned Book

I love the idea of a book club & the Collaboreads link up is kind of like an online book club. This month the book selection was a banned book. It is Banned Books Week (September 25-October 1) in the States & while in Canada Freedom to Read Week runs February 26-March 4 I had a book in my cue that was once banned. 

 

The banned book I read is July's People by Nadine Gordimer. July's People was banned in South Africa shortly after it was written in 1981 until 1994. It was written prior to the end of Apartheid and presented a possible outcome of civil war as a backdrop to the novel where Whites have had to go into hiding to avoid being killed. From this place of refuge in the few days after their exit the story is told. It is a time of ambiguity. I found a quote as to why this book was banned, "the subject matter is questionable...the language used is not acceptable, as it does not encourage good grammatical practices...the reader is bombarded with nuances that do not achieve much...any condemnation of racism is difficult to discover--so the story comes across as being deeply rascist, superior, and patronizing." (1)While I do not fully understand South Africa's history or the end of Apartheid in South Africa I was surprised that this book was banned. (I didn't realize it was banned until I returned it to the library and then decided to add it to my bookshelf on goodreads as completed & read a few reviews.) It almost makes me want to re-read & then review this period in South Africa's history to see if I can understand why this book caused such an uproar. Almost.

RIVETING.

What part of the book could you NOT get enough of? 

I am in awe of the author utilizing tone so effectively. There is a strong sense of ambiguity "not knowing" throughout. Even the dialogue with its unfamiliar structure and lack of quotation marks & named speakers leaves the reader wondering. Much of the dialogue is ambiguous, those conversations that make one wonder what was meant. I am always fascinated by stories of escape. While the plot does not drive the book it is enough to keep me turning the pages wondering what happens to the family. Here the Smales, a white middle class liberal family of five, take flight from their suburban home and flee the violence under the direction of their servant to the village of his family. Displaced they find themselves dependent, living in his mother in law's one room hut. They do not know what is going on back in the city, if their home has been looted & burnt, they do not know if they can get out of the country or even if they should.  Even the ambiguous ending is fitting. Has Maureen run to safety & rescue or captors & her death & what of her family?

ELEMENTS.

How did you relate to/care for the characters? What’s your thought on the plot line and twists and turns? 

At first the lyrical language, alongside the cadence of the speakers colloquial tongue, made the book difficult to read. I was disoriented with nonlinear time sequencing trying to make sense of why this flashback was included here, and what it meant. Then the point of view shifted.  I wouldn't want to read novels like this on a regular basis but I gradually became accustomed & see how these elements mirrored the crisis of personal identity & shifts in balance of power. 

I liked Maureen's spunk. She was testy, tense, on edge, but also determined.

While the ambiguous ending stuck with me for several days and I found myself mulling over this book I also thought it was too abrupt. I didn't see the ending coming and much of the novel felt unresolved.  

ASSOCIATE.

What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it’s themes and characters? Does it serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now? 

I was reminded of A Blade Of Grass by Lewis DeSoto. A Blade of Grass is also lyrical & set in South Africa. It explores as this book what it means to be Black & White, entitlement, and the price of freedom. 

In some ways it makes me think of the Syrian refugees in Canada. What would it be like to flee? What would you take in those panicked last moments? What would the moments after include? Would life always feel like an interlude? I imagine even in Canada there is still a strain of prejudism, barriers they must encounter, 

DESIGN.

You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages?  

The copy I picked up from the library was a paperback. I love how paperbacks feel. After reading some thick hardcover books holding only 160 pages was welcome. I liked the cover design; this semi abstracted landscape & writing feel like school. Reading the author is a Nobel Prize Winner set this book up already as one I should invest my time in and consider i.e. not give up after the first confusing chapter. 

STARS.

How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? 

I would give this book a solid 3.5. I liked it. To a literary friend I would recommend.