Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Heart Breaking and Touching, 26 Feb 2004
“The other side of Silence” follows the life of a small girl, as she experiences all the good and evil in her ever expanding world, whilst she constantly strives to reach her childhood dream – peace of mind, and freedom of spirit. This heart felt journey takes her beyond the realms of cruelty, where she is delivered into the hands of those who would destroy her sole, and corrupt her body. Does she have the strength to live her life without hatred and anger after the atrocities that have befallen her? Will she ever take revenge against those who sought to destroy her – and even if she does will this ever be enough to heal the wounds.

This book is a catastrophic masterpiece. Filled with gripping tales of the harrowing life that the heroine leads, it can’t help but move you to tears. I felt emotionally drained chapter after chapter.

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Heart Breaking and Touching, 26 Feb 2004
“The other side of Silence” follows the life of a small girl, as she experiences all the good and evil in her ever expanding world, whilst she constantly strives to reach her childhood dream – peace of mind, and freedom of spirit. This heart felt journey takes her beyond the realms of cruelty, where she is delivered into the hands of those who would destroy her sole, and corrupt her body. Does she have the strength to live her life without hatred and anger after the atrocities that have befallen her? Will she ever take revenge against those who sought to destroy her – and even if she does will this ever be enough to heal the wounds.

This book is a catastrophic masterpiece. Filled with gripping tales of the harrowing life that the heroine leads, it can’t help but move you to tears. I felt emotionally drained chapter after chapter.

A craftsman at his best, 19 Jul 2006
Since reading 'Imaginings of Sand' some years ago (highly recommended by the way), Andre Brink is one of the few writers I have actively sought in bookshops. Mr Brink has used the novel as a way of getting information to the outside world that other media have been unable to, as did many authors from the former Soviet block and certain countries in South America. As a consequence Brink has been banned in South Africa on more than one occasion.
In the post-apartheid world he has continued to use the political background of South Africa in his novels, and 'Before I forget' is no exception. It is the story of a man - his career and loves as shaped by the political developments in his country following the 1948 elections and then the release of Nelson Mandela. Obsessed with love but scared of commitment, the central character leads us on a journey during which he struggles between doing what is right for his country and doing what is right for him. Relationships are affected as much by outside circumstances as they are by the people in them, and this book has several illustrations of that.
His reflections on, and observations of love and relationships are, in my mind, unsentimental and honest. Commentary on the unfolding war in Iraq, expressed through the main character, serve to remind us that Andre Brink is an outspoken political and social commentator.
For me this is one of the best, if not the best, of Andre Brink's novels. I re-read the final three pages of this novel at least 15 times - I recommend you read them at least once.

Read "A Dry White Season" instead, 08 Feb 2006
This book may well put you off from reading “A Dry White Season”, but don’t let it. The protagonist (the author himself??) thinks he has deep insights into love and loss, but he really made my skin crawl and his thoughts were a bit warped to say the least. For example – to paraphrase, you love someone – you betray them. Well, perhaps the author is trying to convince himself that he loves someone he betrayed because he can’t cope with the thought that he betrayed someone and didn’t really love them. There are plenty more examples like this and much worse. I think that this is an immense vanity project (ugly older guy – lots of much better looking women etc)

The narrative is astoundingly slow and stodgy – and I think that sometimes when “learned” authors acquire this type of label it is partly because of the intense stodge. One will often find an Emperor’s new clothes type reaction from people who pride themselves on their literary merits and who don’t want to appear as a philistine. These same people would often look down their noses at a better written and better to read novel by a so-called lesser author. If I was a school teacher my comments could be summarised thus: “can do better”.

He isn’t all he’s cracked up to be this author, but do read “A Dry White Season” – get through it, you owe it to the subject.

Well, when I’d finished with this book I did two things – thought “there’s a few hours of my life I won’t get back” & gave the recycling bin some breakfast. At least the tree that gave it’s life for this book didn’t have it’s life completely wasted.

A Beautiful Read, 10 Dec 2005
This is my first taste of André Brink, if that's the way to put it. I was so taken by the writing here; it was so beautiful and elegant. The story is wonderfully structured, with intrigue and pace, which helps break up the reflection and meditation on love and past relationships. Everything is so accessible and the important setting of South Africa's history is cleverly woven in so as not to be distracting. My only criticism: there are a tad too many examples of the protaganists previous loves. It was a bit tedious maintaining interest in so many different women, and it was especially frustrating to be introduced to a new character near the end when the fate of Rachel, one of the main characters, became so pressing. Nonetheless, you close this book feeling fulfilled, even though it's sad. The narrative and the social commentary (unimposed) stay with you. I am eager to read more from this writer.

Andre Brink has had a long career as a South African novelist, one that has provided him a forum for voicing his opposition to apartheid. Imaginings of Sand depicts the country as it makes the transition to democracy at the same time as Kristien Muller returns from self-imposed exile to the bedside of her dying grandmother, Ouma Kristina. At age 103, matriarchal Ouma is a fountain of family history and white South-African legend; to her granddaughter she passes on tales--magically unreal at times--that link the oppression suffered by women and blacks. While immersed in these fables of memory and emotion, Kristien must also deal with the current reality: a hostile family and authorities discomfited by the impending transition of power. --Alex Freeman

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Heart Breaking and Touching, 26 Feb 2004
“The other side of Silence” follows the life of a small girl, as she experiences all the good and evil in her ever expanding world, whilst she constantly strives to reach her childhood dream – peace of mind, and freedom of spirit. This heart felt journey takes her beyond the realms of cruelty, where she is delivered into the hands of those who would destroy her sole, and corrupt her body. Does she have the strength to live her life without hatred and anger after the atrocities that have befallen her? Will she ever take revenge against those who sought to destroy her – and even if she does will this ever be enough to heal the wounds.

This book is a catastrophic masterpiece. Filled with gripping tales of the harrowing life that the heroine leads, it can’t help but move you to tears. I felt emotionally drained chapter after chapter.

A craftsman at his best, 19 Jul 2006
Since reading 'Imaginings of Sand' some years ago (highly recommended by the way), Andre Brink is one of the few writers I have actively sought in bookshops. Mr Brink has used the novel as a way of getting information to the outside world that other media have been unable to, as did many authors from the former Soviet block and certain countries in South America. As a consequence Brink has been banned in South Africa on more than one occasion.
In the post-apartheid world he has continued to use the political background of South Africa in his novels, and 'Before I forget' is no exception. It is the story of a man - his career and loves as shaped by the political developments in his country following the 1948 elections and then the release of Nelson Mandela. Obsessed with love but scared of commitment, the central character leads us on a journey during which he struggles between doing what is right for his country and doing what is right for him. Relationships are affected as much by outside circumstances as they are by the people in them, and this book has several illustrations of that.
His reflections on, and observations of love and relationships are, in my mind, unsentimental and honest. Commentary on the unfolding war in Iraq, expressed through the main character, serve to remind us that Andre Brink is an outspoken political and social commentator.
For me this is one of the best, if not the best, of Andre Brink's novels. I re-read the final three pages of this novel at least 15 times - I recommend you read them at least once.

Read "A Dry White Season" instead, 08 Feb 2006
This book may well put you off from reading “A Dry White Season”, but don’t let it. The protagonist (the author himself??) thinks he has deep insights into love and loss, but he really made my skin crawl and his thoughts were a bit warped to say the least. For example – to paraphrase, you love someone – you betray them. Well, perhaps the author is trying to convince himself that he loves someone he betrayed because he can’t cope with the thought that he betrayed someone and didn’t really love them. There are plenty more examples like this and much worse. I think that this is an immense vanity project (ugly older guy – lots of much better looking women etc)

The narrative is astoundingly slow and stodgy – and I think that sometimes when “learned” authors acquire this type of label it is partly because of the intense stodge. One will often find an Emperor’s new clothes type reaction from people who pride themselves on their literary merits and who don’t want to appear as a philistine. These same people would often look down their noses at a better written and better to read novel by a so-called lesser author. If I was a school teacher my comments could be summarised thus: “can do better”.

He isn’t all he’s cracked up to be this author, but do read “A Dry White Season” – get through it, you owe it to the subject.

Well, when I’d finished with this book I did two things – thought “there’s a few hours of my life I won’t get back” & gave the recycling bin some breakfast. At least the tree that gave it’s life for this book didn’t have it’s life completely wasted.

A Beautiful Read, 10 Dec 2005
This is my first taste of André Brink, if that's the way to put it. I was so taken by the writing here; it was so beautiful and elegant. The story is wonderfully structured, with intrigue and pace, which helps break up the reflection and meditation on love and past relationships. Everything is so accessible and the important setting of South Africa's history is cleverly woven in so as not to be distracting. My only criticism: there are a tad too many examples of the protaganists previous loves. It was a bit tedious maintaining interest in so many different women, and it was especially frustrating to be introduced to a new character near the end when the fate of Rachel, one of the main characters, became so pressing. Nonetheless, you close this book feeling fulfilled, even though it's sad. The narrative and the social commentary (unimposed) stay with you. I am eager to read more from this writer.

a wonderfully descriptive modern myth, 28 Jan 2000
I know its a cliche but I couldn't put this book down, if you can after the first few pages you must have no imagination. If you're a strong female you'll absolutely love it as it is dedicated to the lives of a line of extremely strong fascinating women. It weaves african anthropologic history very cleverly with the modern history of South Africa. There's a love interest which keeps you guessing a little but most of all its an inspiring read for any woman who wants to believe in the power of women. At this price you'll be a fool not to buy it.

Andre Brink's The Rights of Desire concerns a retired librarian's infatuation with his young lodger. Ruben Olivier, as the ageing lecher, is resolutely unsympathetic. He pathetically spends weeks sifting through the dust in his basement because the beloved's navel ring has fallen through a crack in the floorboards. When Tessa, the lodger brings home a black man, Zolani, he nearly has a heart attack, musing after he has recovered his breath: "It was unworthy and I knew it. Yet how could I not wonder about it?--Zolani is welcomed into her bed but I am still denied ... her exasperating and prodigal beauty, distributed like alms among the poor. Only I remained denied." His relationship to literature and music is similarly self-aggrandizing and precious: "I went to Spain with Don Quixote--I still go every year in the summer--and to St Petersburg with Dostoevsky every winter. In between, I go to Paris with Balzac, or with Zola if I feel up to it." It is as difficult to like Tessa, who, in addition to being a little bit slutty and nutty is also a compulsive liar.

Cluttered around their doomed but mutually sustaining love affair is the atrocious exhibition of the white post-apartheid narration of the suburbs. Olivier's best friend is brutally murdered and failing to recognise the crumpled pile of rags on the side of the road Olivier drives by. Tessa narrowly escapes being gang raped in the Newlands forest. The novel equivocates between claiming that all this sex and violence is a function of contemporary social collapse or may simply be an expression of the timeless beauty and violence of Cape Town. Woven into the story of Ruben and Tessa is the story of Antje of Bengal, a 17th-century slave girl, whose ghost haunts the house and the story of Magrieta, Olivier's housekeeper, who is forced to flee her home after an episode of township violence. At times over-ripe, this novel is at it most compelling in its characterisation of this pair. --Neville Hoad

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Heart Breaking and Touching, 26 Feb 2004
“The other side of Silence” follows the life of a small girl, as she experiences all the good and evil in her ever expanding world, whilst she constantly strives to reach her childhood dream – peace of mind, and freedom of spirit. This heart felt journey takes her beyond the realms of cruelty, where she is delivered into the hands of those who would destroy her sole, and corrupt her body. Does she have the strength to live her life without hatred and anger after the atrocities that have befallen her? Will she ever take revenge against those who sought to destroy her – and even if she does will this ever be enough to heal the wounds.

This book is a catastrophic masterpiece. Filled with gripping tales of the harrowing life that the heroine leads, it can’t help but move you to tears. I felt emotionally drained chapter after chapter.

A craftsman at his best, 19 Jul 2006
Since reading 'Imaginings of Sand' some years ago (highly recommended by the way), Andre Brink is one of the few writers I have actively sought in bookshops. Mr Brink has used the novel as a way of getting information to the outside world that other media have been unable to, as did many authors from the former Soviet block and certain countries in South America. As a consequence Brink has been banned in South Africa on more than one occasion.
In the post-apartheid world he has continued to use the political background of South Africa in his novels, and 'Before I forget' is no exception. It is the story of a man - his career and loves as shaped by the political developments in his country following the 1948 elections and then the release of Nelson Mandela. Obsessed with love but scared of commitment, the central character leads us on a journey during which he struggles between doing what is right for his country and doing what is right for him. Relationships are affected as much by outside circumstances as they are by the people in them, and this book has several illustrations of that.
His reflections on, and observations of love and relationships are, in my mind, unsentimental and honest. Commentary on the unfolding war in Iraq, expressed through the main character, serve to remind us that Andre Brink is an outspoken political and social commentator.
For me this is one of the best, if not the best, of Andre Brink's novels. I re-read the final three pages of this novel at least 15 times - I recommend you read them at least once.

Read "A Dry White Season" instead, 08 Feb 2006
This book may well put you off from reading “A Dry White Season”, but don’t let it. The protagonist (the author himself??) thinks he has deep insights into love and loss, but he really made my skin crawl and his thoughts were a bit warped to say the least. For example – to paraphrase, you love someone – you betray them. Well, perhaps the author is trying to convince himself that he loves someone he betrayed because he can’t cope with the thought that he betrayed someone and didn’t really love them. There are plenty more examples like this and much worse. I think that this is an immense vanity project (ugly older guy – lots of much better looking women etc)

The narrative is astoundingly slow and stodgy – and I think that sometimes when “learned” authors acquire this type of label it is partly because of the intense stodge. One will often find an Emperor’s new clothes type reaction from people who pride themselves on their literary merits and who don’t want to appear as a philistine. These same people would often look down their noses at a better written and better to read novel by a so-called lesser author. If I was a school teacher my comments could be summarised thus: “can do better”.

He isn’t all he’s cracked up to be this author, but do read “A Dry White Season” – get through it, you owe it to the subject.

Well, when I’d finished with this book I did two things – thought “there’s a few hours of my life I won’t get back” & gave the recycling bin some breakfast. At least the tree that gave it’s life for this book didn’t have it’s life completely wasted.

A Beautiful Read, 10 Dec 2005
This is my first taste of André Brink, if that's the way to put it. I was so taken by the writing here; it was so beautiful and elegant. The story is wonderfully structured, with intrigue and pace, which helps break up the reflection and meditation on love and past relationships. Everything is so accessible and the important setting of South Africa's history is cleverly woven in so as not to be distracting. My only criticism: there are a tad too many examples of the protaganists previous loves. It was a bit tedious maintaining interest in so many different women, and it was especially frustrating to be introduced to a new character near the end when the fate of Rachel, one of the main characters, became so pressing. Nonetheless, you close this book feeling fulfilled, even though it's sad. The narrative and the social commentary (unimposed) stay with you. I am eager to read more from this writer.

a wonderfully descriptive modern myth, 28 Jan 2000
I know its a cliche but I couldn't put this book down, if you can after the first few pages you must have no imagination. If you're a strong female you'll absolutely love it as it is dedicated to the lives of a line of extremely strong fascinating women. It weaves african anthropologic history very cleverly with the modern history of South Africa. There's a love interest which keeps you guessing a little but most of all its an inspiring read for any woman who wants to believe in the power of women. At this price you'll be a fool not to buy it.

Riveting narrative, complex themes., 23 Jan 2003
It is a measure of Brink's genius that this compulsively readable novel seems so straightforward, at least at first, when one is deeply engrossed in the twists and turns of the main characters' changing relationship. Primarily a love story, it chronicles the complex, sometimes masochistic, interaction between Ruben Olivier, a lonely former librarian in his sixties, and Tessa Butler, an attractive free spirit, almost thirty, whom he has taken into his home and who claims to have deep feelings for him. But while Tessa enlivens his days with her attentions and conversations, she also toys with him, flaunting her numerous relationships with other men at night. As Tessa settles in, Ruben finds his once-orderly and peaceful world shattered, the memories with which he has consoled himself after his wife's death destroyed, and his view of himself and the world permanently changed.

The book is deceptively many-layered, for while Brink is exploring rights and desires in the relationship of Ruben and Tessa, he is also simultaneously exploring rights and desires in a political sense. In the newly independent South Africa, the formerly oppressed black majority is now in power and asserting itself. In the confusion of the power transfer, many young men, apparently feeling that "might makes right," have formed marauding gangs, attacking, raping, killing, and essentially doing whatever they desire, their only motivation being revenge for past injustices. No one is safe, and Ruben and Tessa, who had hitherto ignored the danger even when it struck close to home, find that they are not immune as they face a defining moment of terror.

The atmosphere of the novel is dark, the mood of violence is palpable, and a sense of foreboding lies heavily over all. The relationship of Ruben and Tessa is unsettling, strange, perhaps even clinically sick, but it is powerfully seductive in a Nabokovian way. The ghost of a slave, Antje of Bengal, 300-years-old, walks the house, haunts the inhabitants, and keeps them and the reader constantly on edge. Throughout the action, Brink's language is so fluid, his first-person narrative so smooth, and his sense of timing so keen that his style achieves an elegance few others could achieve, given the sometimes bizarre subject matter. This is a thematically complex tale of many interconnected relationships, and it's fascinating. Mary Whipple

The human face of political and emotional upheavel, 07 Mar 2002
For me this book is yet another example of Andre Brink's genius. Taking the changing political and social climate of South Africa as its backdrop, this novel explores the new, the old, the factual and the believed - and how each interacts and depends on the other. I could not put it down. Thank you Andre Brink!

an interesting treatment of ageing and passionate desire, 26 Feb 2002
Set in contemporary Capetown,this a sensitive portayal of an ageing widower trying to make sense of his life while being consumed by a passionate obsession,increasingly sexual, for his young free spirited lodger.The narrative is punctuated by ghastly descriptions of gratuitous acts of violence, which eventually engulf all those he feels close to. The brutalisation of Post Apartheid society, echoes that of a bygone slave owning society. The protagonists are haunted by the ghost of a young slave woman,executed brutally in ambiguous circumstances by the colonial authorities. The author skillfully weaves the themes of obsessive desire,guilt,nostalgic loss and redemption through love. However the recent tragic history of his land casts a heavy shadow as the characters drift aimlessly through a world in transition.
Though not as grim, the novel invites comparison with another literary product from SA, namely Cootzee's Disgrace,which treats very similar themes.

Brave and Moving writing, 17 Jul 2008
In Ben Du Toit, Andre Brink has created a character through which he can explore the revolt of the reasonable man when he is faced with the evidence of dishonesty and oppression. Ben Du Toit is a schoolteacher living an unremarkable life with his friends when he is appalled by the deaths of two members of the same black family at the hands of South Africa's security police. Du Toit is determined to pursue justice and to find out the truth even though this leads to the sacrifice of friends, family and career.
Unlike some of Brink's other novels, A Dry White Season uses a simple linear narrative and the story is told from Du Toit's point of view. This means we share the surprise and horror he feels when he is confronted with the evidence of injustice and brutality. We realise that he is a very ordinary man who finds the work he takes on for the black communities tiring. He is duped and manipulated yet he still pursues his quest. He is a Winston Smith type figure but this novel is set in the real world that was 1970s South Africa.
A Dry White Season was filmed in the 1990s although the film was undistinguished and did not really do justice to this remarkably brave and moving novel.

A harrowing novel, 06 Aug 2004
Ben Du Toit teaches history and geography in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the period of the height of the youth riots in the township of Soweto. At Ben's school, Gordon Ngubene, a native, is a cleaner and he occasionally does little chores for Ben. When Ben sees that Jonathan, Gordon's son, is showing signs of intelligence and diligence, he decides to partly finance his education. One day however, Jonathan takes part in a demonstration which ends up in a violent riot and is arrested by the police. A few weeks later, after a harrowing quest through countless offices, Ben and Gordon are informed that Jonathan died "of natural causes" while in detention.
Due to the mystery surrounding his son's death, Gordon gives up his job in order to devote himself entirely to the enquiries which have become an obsession with him. Both the Special Branch and the Security Police are annoyed about Gordon's insistence and soon enough Gordon is arrested. After numerous attempts to try to trace Gordon and speak to him, Ben and Gordon's wife Emily are told by the spokesman of the Security Police that Gordon apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with strips torn from his blanket.
But Ben Du Toit senses that the official explanations for both Jonathan's and Gordon's deaths are just a pretext for poorly disguised murders and so he decides to take matters in his own hands and starts investigating.
Mr Brink's novel is a harrowing account of a solitary man's fight against all the atrocities of the Apartheid. During this dark period in the history of South Africa, a white man had to be a real hero to fight for the right of the Afrikaners. The author beautifully captures the fact that Ben has to fight not only the resentment of the people of the other race, but also that of the people belonging to his own race - his family for a start. The descriptions of the townships of Johannesburg, particularly that of Soweto, are breathtaking in their accuracy and poignancy.

Chilling, thought-provoking and heart-breaking novel, 14 Jul 2003
The protagonist of A Dry White Season is an Everyman character who allows us an entry into the world of South-Africa. Ben du Toit's struggle to save the life and, later, the name of one man comes to dominate his life. But it's never just about one man fighting for another, it's about how you choose to define yourself; if you stand back and let oppression happen then you are one of the oppressors.
Knowing only vaguely about the apartheid regime in South-Africa, this novel gave me a sense of the total oppression - both of white and black people - living in that time. I would thoroughly recommend this novel as it challenges you, while being exquisitely written.

Excellent, buy this book!, 29 Mar 2000
Every so often you discover a writer who is so good you feel you have to read all his work. Brink is such a writer. His ability to disseminate the inherent prejudices and corruptions of South African politics is wondrous. I cannot rate this novel highly enough

Definitely buy this book!, 23 Jul 1999
I could not put this book down for a moment. If you're interested in South Africa in the 80s, this is a must-read. Andre Brink is really a fantastic writer.

Reminds me of Home, 07 Dec 2005
This book is a magical storytale based on various historical facts. I was always told what a good writer Andre Brink was, but never read one of his books until now. The book was gripping - happiness and sadness mixed up in a sweet-sour relationship to make it a glorious rollercoaster ride of life and death, religion and spirituality, morality and immortality.
I would definitely recommend if you want to get a good taste of what life in Africa is about.

A study in alienation, 13 Aug 2008
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Andre Brink wrote a fine series of novels that questioned South Africa's policy of apartheid, exploring the implications of the policy for his society and arguing the legitimacy of protest against a form of government based on systematic oppression and persecution.
Rumours of Rain, written in 1978, is narrated by Martin Mynhardt, a successful Afrikaner businessman, who has profited from the regime and built himself a luxurious lifestyle. A visit to the farm of his family causes him to consider his views, to question what is really important to him and to evaluate his friends and relationships.
Many of the themes, Brink explores are recognisable from his other works. The legitimacy of outspoken opposition to an undemocratic regime is raised by Mynhardt's oldest friend Bernard and Brink comments on the injustices prevalent in South Africa in the 1970s.
As the novel progresses, we begin to realise that Mynhardt himself represents the views of the Afrikaner. He is a man so caught up in his quest for economic advancement that he is numb to the emotional needs of others and finds it easy to excuse his own immorality. He brushes aside his son's harrowing experiences of war and his mother's attachment to her farm. He feels embarrassed and awkward about friendships with blacks as he reaches for the successes demanded by his community. It is this short-sightedness made physical when he treads on his glasses, that traps him as a representative of a world that is threatened by demands for violent and massive change.
30 years after its publication, the novel is still remarkable for the brilliance of Brink's central conceit and the energy with which he communicates the South African landscape.

Great South African writing, 15 Feb 2005
'Rumours of Rain' is the second of Andre Brink's books that I've read, after 'The Rights of Desire'. While I feel this to be slightly inferior to 'The Rights of Desire', it's still worthy of a five-star rating. My first experiences with South African writing was Coetzee, of whose books I read quite a few, and somehow came across Brink. Both authors hold a distinct similarity, but also hold an individuality and unique voice at the most important times. What separates them, for me, is that Coetzee's strongest skill lies in the style of his use of language itself, and Brink's strongest skill is his style in the use of character.

The first thing that stands out in 'Rumours of Rain' is how accurately the characters are described. They truly live with you during and after the course of this book. The book is written in the words of a man in his forties who is writing about his visit to his mother's farm, where he grew up. He has to convince her to sell it, for reasons such as the drought (where the title comes from), the increasing danger in the area, and, the main reason, he is being offered a great deal of money for it. The main character, Martin Myndhardt is particularly strange for somebody like myself with little experience with the South African situation and psyche. One agrees with him at times, and completely disagrees at others. Like pretty much all the characters in the book, for me: those in the course of the weekend on the farm, and those in Myndhardt's flashbacks.

The farm-life in 'Rumours of Rain' reminds me strongly of Coetzee's 'Disgrace', and the character himself is like a more extreme David Lurie, also from 'Disgrace'. However, as I've said, both authors are able to distance their writing styles from each other at just the right times, and write similarly at the right times also. Thus, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys the work of Coetzee, and recommend Coetzee to anybody who enjoys Brink.

A difficult book to find in shops, but well worth your effort.

Heart Breaking and Touching, 26 Feb 2004
“The other side of Silence” follows the life of a small girl, as she experiences all the good and evil in her ever expanding world, whilst she constantly strives to reach her childhood dream – peace of mind, and freedom of spirit. This heart felt journey takes her beyond the realms of cruelty, where she is delivered into the hands of those who would destroy her sole, and corrupt her body. Does she have the strength to live her life without hatred and anger after the atrocities that have befallen her? Will she ever take revenge against those who sought to destroy her – and even if she does will this ever be enough to heal the wounds.

This book is a catastrophic masterpiece. Filled with gripping tales of the harrowing life that the heroine leads, it can’t help but move you to tears. I felt emotionally drained chapter after chapter.

A craftsman at his best, 19 Jul 2006
Since reading 'Imaginings of Sand' some years ago (highly recommended by the way), Andre Brink is one of the few writers I have actively sought in bookshops. Mr Brink has used the novel as a way of getting information to the outside world that other media have been unable to, as did many authors from the former Soviet block and certain countries in South America. As a consequence Brink has been banned in South Africa on more than one occasion.
In the post-apartheid world he has continued to use the political background of South Africa in his novels, and 'Before I forget' is no exception. It is the story of a man - his career and loves as shaped by the political developments in his country following the 1948 elections and then the release of Nelson Mandela. Obsessed with love but scared of commitment, the central character leads us on a journey during which he struggles between doing what is right for his country and doing what is right for him. Relationships are affected as much by outside circumstances as they are by the people in them, and this book has several illustrations of that.
His reflections on, and observations of love and relationships are, in my mind, unsentimental and honest. Commentary on the unfolding war in Iraq, expressed through the main character, serve to remind us that Andre Brink is an outspoken political and social commentator.
For me this is one of the best, if not the best, of Andre Brink's novels. I re-read the final three pages of this novel at least 15 times - I recommend you read them at least once.

Read "A Dry White Season" instead, 08 Feb 2006
This book may well put you off from reading “A Dry White Season”, but don’t let it. The protagonist (the author himself??) thinks he has deep insights into love and loss, but he really made my skin crawl and his thoughts were a bit warped to say the least. For example – to paraphrase, you love someone – you betray them. Well, perhaps the author is trying to convince himself that he loves someone he betrayed because he can’t cope with the thought that he betrayed someone and didn’t really love them. There are plenty more examples like this and much worse. I think that this is an immense vanity project (ugly older guy – lots of much better looking women etc)

The narrative is astoundingly slow and stodgy – and I think that sometimes when “learned” authors acquire this type of label it is partly because of the intense stodge. One will often find an Emperor’s new clothes type reaction from people who pride themselves on their literary merits and who don’t want to appear as a philistine. These same people would often look down their noses at a better written and better to read novel by a so-called lesser author. If I was a school teacher my comments could be summarised thus: “can do better”.

He isn’t all he’s cracked up to be this author, but do read “A Dry White Season” – get through it, you owe it to the subject.

Well, when I’d finished with this book I did two things – thought “there’s a few hours of my life I won’t get back” & gave the recycling bin some breakfast. At least the tree that gave it’s life for this book didn’t have it’s life completely wasted.

A Beautiful Read, 10 Dec 2005
This is my first taste of André Brink, if that's the way to put it. I was so taken by the writing here; it was so beautiful and elegant. The story is wonderfully structured, with intrigue and pace, which helps break up the reflection and meditation on love and past relationships. Everything is so accessible and the important setting of South Africa's history is cleverly woven in so as not to be distracting. My only criticism: there are a tad too many examples of the protaganists previous loves. It was a bit tedious maintaining interest in so many different women, and it was especially frustrating to be introduced to a new character near the end when the fate of Rachel, one of the main characters, became so pressing. Nonetheless, you close this book feeling fulfilled, even though it's sad. The narrative and the social commentary (unimposed) stay with you. I am eager to read more from this writer.

a wonderfully descriptive modern myth, 28 Jan 2000
I know its a cliche but I couldn't put this book down, if you can after the first few pages you must have no imagination. If you're