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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had never heard of Damon Galgut before reading this book and am now determined to get my hands on everything he's ever written. All the things I most love in literary fiction were expertly included in this novel - understated writing, a complex narrator, a strong sense of place, homoeroticism - and my only complaint is that I really wanted a little more. It's a short book, and I would happily have stayed with the characters and landscape for double the length. Galgut's writing style reminded me a lot of Sally Rooney, if Namibia and South Africa were substituted for Ireland.
It's also one of the horniest books I've read, despite only containing one real sentence of sexually explicit content, so there's that.
It's also one of the horniest books I've read, despite only containing one real sentence of sexually explicit content, so there's that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, War
Minor: Drug use, Incest
dark
tense
medium-paced
Finding independence, both personal and political, is the central theme of Damon Galgut’s novella, The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs, which was first published in 1991.
Set on the eve of the election that would grant South West Africa, a territory under South African jurisdiction, independence, it’s an insightful look at loyalty, territorial rights, black and white relations, and the long legacy of colonial rule.
But it’s also a story about the impact of violence on one man, the narrator of the story, Patrick Winter, who has been honourably discharged from South African military service after an incident left him severely traumatised. Or, as he puts it, “‘I had a little crackup there.”
For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.
Set on the eve of the election that would grant South West Africa, a territory under South African jurisdiction, independence, it’s an insightful look at loyalty, territorial rights, black and white relations, and the long legacy of colonial rule.
But it’s also a story about the impact of violence on one man, the narrator of the story, Patrick Winter, who has been honourably discharged from South African military service after an incident left him severely traumatised. Or, as he puts it, “‘I had a little crackup there.”
For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.
This early book by the author deals with a lot in a small page count, but does it effectively and devastatingly. The protagonist’s breakdown is potently portrayed, and painfully so. The personal, familial, racial, and national issues are deftly wrapped in the arc of one young man struggling to reconcile his role in the past, present, and future of his region, with obedient silence being the voice of complicity.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, War
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read for uni.
The title of the book drew me towards itself. I found the title very intriguing. It made me wonder why any book would have this title. There is a scene in the book where the author describes how the pigs squeal when they are about to be killed.
The story is about a boy named Patrick, and his mother Ellen. This story takes place around the first free elections of Namibia.
Patrick is the son of a very rich man named Howard. His brother Malcolm, gets killed in an accident. Patrick is devastated by his brother’s death and he gets mentally disturbed and emotionally traumatised after some brutal killings while in the army. His parents divorce each other after Malcolm’s death and thereafter his mother has transient relationships with many men.
Patrick and his mom set out on a journey to Namibia. This journey makes Patrick revisit his past. His mom currently is in love with a much younger black guy, Godfrey, who is a political activist. Although the novel touches upon the issue of race, it is only transitory.
I liked the character Patrick. He is a guy who is sidelined for not being able to play rugby and go hunting like his brother and his father. Why should anybody feel bad about not being able to play a game or do things that others do? Being judgemental, just because someone is not good at a particular field is harsh.
People go by certain generalisations. Men shouldn’t cry! Men should be strong-hearted. Girls are sugar-and-spice-and-all-things-nice. When people are not confined to these ‘so-called’ categories, people look down upon them! WHY?
The book is packed with themes like emotional turmoils, painful memories, mental health, political transitions, revolution, and war.
The author is an expert at weaving a very engaging tale brimming with simplicity yet with an undercurrent of subtlety. It is a beautiful novel that covers a very meaningful journey.
This is the third book that the author has written and he wrote his first book at the age of seventeen. This book won the Central News Agency Literary Award.
The story is about a boy named Patrick, and his mother Ellen. This story takes place around the first free elections of Namibia.
Patrick is the son of a very rich man named Howard. His brother Malcolm, gets killed in an accident. Patrick is devastated by his brother’s death and he gets mentally disturbed and emotionally traumatised after some brutal killings while in the army. His parents divorce each other after Malcolm’s death and thereafter his mother has transient relationships with many men.
Patrick and his mom set out on a journey to Namibia. This journey makes Patrick revisit his past. His mom currently is in love with a much younger black guy, Godfrey, who is a political activist. Although the novel touches upon the issue of race, it is only transitory.
I liked the character Patrick. He is a guy who is sidelined for not being able to play rugby and go hunting like his brother and his father. Why should anybody feel bad about not being able to play a game or do things that others do? Being judgemental, just because someone is not good at a particular field is harsh.
People go by certain generalisations. Men shouldn’t cry! Men should be strong-hearted. Girls are sugar-and-spice-and-all-things-nice. When people are not confined to these ‘so-called’ categories, people look down upon them! WHY?
The book is packed with themes like emotional turmoils, painful memories, mental health, political transitions, revolution, and war.
The author is an expert at weaving a very engaging tale brimming with simplicity yet with an undercurrent of subtlety. It is a beautiful novel that covers a very meaningful journey.
This is the third book that the author has written and he wrote his first book at the age of seventeen. This book won the Central News Agency Literary Award.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes