Cry, The Beloved Country

"Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, 1948

distinctions:

~New York Times Bestseller, fiction, 1948
~Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, 1949

first words:

"There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills."

the premise:

A humble Zulu parson leaves his home in the hills to search for his sister and son in the troubled streets of Johannesburg and is forced to confront, in a deeply personal way, the complex tragedy of apartheid in the land that he loves.

my thoughts:

It seems appropriate that my first review should be of one of my very favorite books, a book I've read multiple times now (and I don't often reread books).  This novel is beautiful in so many ways: the lush landscapes, the intimate conversations, the biblical arc of the story, the cumulative power of so many voices. The writing is sparing and lyrical, its rhythms building and breaking into poetry. But perhaps what is most indelible about this novel is the way Paton lays bare the tragedies of apartheid--the poisonous fear; the gross disparities of education and wealth; the destruction of family, tribe, and land--through the development of characters who are unforgettable in their humanness: their struggles, sorrows and triumphs have the clear ring of truth.  This novel is both devastating and hopeful in a way that tends to steal one's breath.

others' thoughts:

Golden Road to Samarqand

Have you reviewed this too?