Brinks sketches the life of a idealistic man - Ben du Toit that lives his life in Apartheid South Africa on the brink of normalcy until the mysterious death of a black American friend and his son points to government involvement. As du Toit becomes obsessed with discovering the truth he becomes the symbol of Afrikaner conscience struggling to cope with the conflict and alienation that this crusade against Apartheid causes. With Apartheid being woven into the Afrikaner concept of nationhood and religion Ben finds himself not only in conflict with his family or the government but with his own history and ultimately with his own identity and even his soul. du Toit becomes a classical Afrikaner in his stubborn steadfast refusal to sway from his course , irrespective of the consequences, that he believes to be the only just and morally acceptable one. He painfully exposes the moral vacuum of Apartheid and how it alienates not just du Toit from himself and his family but ultimately the Afrikaner from their fellow South Africans, as well as their own ideas of justice and morality. The original Afrikaans language edition packs a powerful punch and is beautiful to read. English translation loses a bit of impact and fails to capture the finesse of the master writer in his mother tongue but is never the less worth burning the midnight oil for. It should however be noted that the story is dated and not a balanced portrayal of South Africa, Afrikaners or Apartheid. Good fiction but not a historical treatise of Apartheid as some reviewers seem to think.
"Une saison blanche et sèche" is a book written in 1979 by André Brink who had been prohibited from publishing it, in South Africa. On the face of it,its a very full novel, built on a fascinating intrigue which leads to fundamental problems in the country of apartheid:individual liberty; the difficulty in communicating between the black and white races, and between the social classes;... Its a tragic but touching book which describes the realism in life for the apartheid in South Africa.
i read this while i was a high school student and i can honestly say it has been one of the few books that have made an impact on the way i view society. read it! youll love it!
