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shelleyrae's review
1.0
I selected Wolf, Wolf by Eben Venter to read in order to satisfy a reading challenge requirement, but my curiosity was piqued by the premise and some flattering reviews, Cape Times named it one of the 10 best books of 2013 and it was shortlisted for the 2014 Sunday Times (South Africa) prize.
The narrative of Wolf, Wolf shifts between the perspectives of Benjamin, Mattie and Mattie's boyfriend Jack, a school teacher at a private school. It a story about manhood, love, family and legacy - not only that which a father passes on to a son, but also in relation to South Africa's struggles with a post-apartheid society.
The translation by Michiel Heyns from Eben Venter’s Afrikaans has received much praise but unfortunately I struggled with the dense prose from the first pages and couldn't seem to find a rhythm in the narrative to suit me. I persevered until the end, but with little enjoyment.
taniabotes's review against another edition
3.0
Sjoe! Glad nie wat ek verwag het nie. Vir een of ander rede het ek gedink dis 'n who-dunnit, alhoewel dit duidelik roman op die voorblad se. Ongelooflik mooi geskryf, maar baie ongemaklik. Eben Venter kry dit reg om elke karakter se beste en slegste trekke vir ons te wys. Ons kan dan ook sien hoe mense en verhoudings oor tyd verander. As jy 'n boek wil lees oor regte mense met regte issues is hierdie vir jou. As jy 'n sensitiewe kyker is bly eerder weg. Ek dink ek sal definitief weer een van sy boeke lees.
puddlejumper's review
3.0
Notes: I won this one in a Goodreads Giveaway.
This was certainly not a feel good book or an easy read. The story was compelling and the characters interesting. However I struggled with the dense prose which made this book difficult to get through.
This was certainly not a feel good book or an easy read. The story was compelling and the characters interesting. However I struggled with the dense prose which made this book difficult to get through.
lonesomereader's review
5.0
Anxiety over the “right” way to be a man is something many men face. Pressure is frequently placed upon men to continue a legacy for the family by taking on the father’s business and creating progeny to carry on the family name and bloodline. This is something that the central character of Mattie in “Wolf, Wolf” by Eben Venter has refused to do. Rather than joining his father’s successful motorcar business, he’s spent his twenties travelling, engaging in sexual escapades and indulging in narcotics. When the novel begins he’s back at his father’s home in South Africa where he’s become his Pa’s primary care-giver. His terminally ill father has lost his sight and his physical health is rapidly declining due to the chemo-therapy he’s been receiving. Before his Pa dies, Matt wants to prove to him that he can be a responsible man with a successful business of his own. His father is a committed Christian and disapproves of Matt’s homosexuality and his relationship with a teacher named Jack. Matt needs his father’s financial backing to get his plan to establish a healthy food stall. With each man wanting the other to compromise their beliefs about what a man should be, father and son are embroiled in a battle of will.
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of Wolf, Wolf by Eben Venter
Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of Wolf, Wolf by Eben Venter
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