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DisgraceI'm a little embarrased I wasn't familar with Coetzee's work before reading this novel. Coetzee is the only author to have one the Booker Prize twice, and is generally well-known amongst bookworms. Still, I didn't know his work nor his name, but I was happy to make the discovery.
As often happens in life, when you hear about something for the first time, you begin noticing it everywhere. In the case of JM Coetzee's novel, Disgrace, I first heard about it in a short interview with a respectable, well-read European. She was citing her favorite authors and books, and this novel was at the top of her list. Always on the lookout for new reads, I printed out the interview and took it with me to the used bookstore. When I couldn't find the book there, I more or less forgot about it.
A few days later, however, I stumbled across a mention of it in another article. Being reminded of the name was enough so that when I went to check out a local English bookstore, I picked it up.
At the checkout counter, the girl sighed heavily and said, "This book is so good. It's just... (she clutches her chest)... so... painful."
She wasn't being overdramatic. The writing is excellent, but reading the book is a bit like watching a car-crash unfurl in slow-motion. Everything is heavy, harsh, and only comes to feel heavier and harsher as the book progresses.
The premis: David Lurie, a semi-serious university professor and two-time divorcé, gets involved in a strange and awkward affair with a student. Eventually, she presses charges and he admits guilt, and is forced to leave his job. He spends his "leave of absence" with his daugher, Lucy, out in South Africa's Eastern Cape. And while at first he spends his time getting in touch with the earth and its animals, and discovering the harsh realities of living off the land, disaster soon strikes. David and Lucy are surprised one day by intruders who end up attacking them and their home, and the aftermath of the attack is almost as difficult to deal with as the attack itself.
The book is short, and I realize the snapshot of the story featured here would make you want to avoid it at all costs. But I found the book amazing - the writing style is what carries the narrative more so than the plot. Coetzee's writing is mature and fearless, and I regularly stopped to re-read sentences just because I liked the sound of them. I took this book with me everywhere, and finished it quickly while trying to savour it for as long as possible.
Lots of reviews mention this novel as painting a painful portrait of modern-day South Africa. And while, sure, that's definetly present, what I found much more poignant in the tale were the running themes of father/daughter relationships and animal rights/souls. Parts of this book are difficult to describe; as cheesy as it sounds, there were scenes that were more "felt" than pictured. Coetzee's writing is simple, but there is so much behind the words that it makes for a very interesting read.
Read it: JM Coetzee - Disgrace
