A dystopian novel set in South Africa during a fictional civil war. The white family takes refuge in the rural village of their black servant, July. All kinds of power dynamics and racial tensions are explored. Gordimer writes the prose as a study in human traits. She's the observer. The prose is clinical, detached, and precise. The characters are fleshed out with small details, and the story is more about the interactions between them than a traditional plot. Like Damon Galgut, the prose was _tedious_ to get into (what is it with these South African authors?). She could referred to a character by "he" or "she" after way too many sentences in a conversation. The novel feels like the perfect text to be analysed in high school: there are a myriad of themes and symbols, as well as "blink and you'll miss it" moments throughout. This is not a deragatory statement, rather the opposite. The author treats her subject with utmost respect and seriousness.
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