In The Heart Of The Country

In The Heart Of The Country

J.M. Coetzee2015
Stifled by the torpor of colonial South Africa and trapped in a web of reciprocal oppression, a lonely sheep farmer seeks comfort in the arms of a black concubine. But when his embittered spinster daughter Magda feels shamed, this lurch across the racial divide marks the end of a tenuous feudal peace. As she dreams madly of bloody revenge, Magda's consciousness starts to drift and the line between fact and the workings of her excited imagination becomes blurred. What follows is the fable of a woman's passionate, obsessed and violent response to an Africa that will not heed her.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of heleen de boever
heleen de boever@hlndb
4 stars
Apr 14, 2023

It took me a while to settle into the rhythm of this novel, but after I did I was hooked. The consistent first-person narrative absorbs you in Magda's head, while the author never allows you to return to normality/rationality through other point of views. Magda's mad voice started to make more sense (I don't know if that should make me question my own sanity). She became worthy of my pity, while simultaneously remaining absolutely repulsive. There was something very human about her madness; a deep-rooted desire for company, communication, confirmation about who she is as a woman. I don't think her madness was innately part of her, but rather a product of her environment. She condemns language because it's a language marked by master-servant dynamics, while all she longs for is to converse on equal levels. This idea is however rejected by both her father and the servants, who are neither capable of acting on a level outside the colonial power system. Loneliness, unfulfilled desires and boredom drive her crazy. It brilliantly shows how the structures of colonial opression affect both parties.

Photo of Jim Hagan
Jim Hagan@aranyalma
1 star
Mar 3, 2024
Photo of Trevor Berrett
Trevor Berrett@mookse
4 stars
Nov 10, 2021
Photo of Joshua Line
Joshua Line@fictionjunky
4 stars
Sep 30, 2021

This book appears on the shelf trilogies-and-more

Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Legend
Legend by Marie Lu
The Prison Healer
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Shadow and Bone
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Lady Midnight
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

This book appears on the shelf Steamy sexy romance

Empire of Storms
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Tempting the Bodyguard
Tempting the Bodyguard by J. Lynn
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Every last breath
Every last breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol
Stone Cold Touch
Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This book appears on the shelf fantasy-paranormal

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Crave
Crave by Tracy Wolff
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Sweet Evil
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins