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A review by yolie
The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Wow, what an interesting, complex and divisive book.
The book takes you to the shores of the Wild Coast, where we journey into the parallel world of the 1850s Xhosa cattle-killing spree and the post-Apartheid era, where descendants deal with the repercussions of that time period.
What some may call magical realism, and what others know to be a historical account - this is a story that tests your understanding of unyielding belief, of unwavering faith, ancestor worship and makes one question what we know as as ‘modernity’.
I initially started this book in 2023, and it took me over a year to finish reading the book.
Initially it is a difficult book to understand and to familiarise oneself with the characters - particularly since some characters share the same name and the slow pacing of the book often left me uninterested in the story.
The book takes you to the shores of the Wild Coast, where we journey into the parallel world of the 1850s Xhosa cattle-killing spree and the post-Apartheid era, where descendants deal with the repercussions of that time period.
What some may call magical realism, and what others know to be a historical account - this is a story that tests your understanding of unyielding belief, of unwavering faith, ancestor worship and makes one question what we know as as ‘modernity’.
I initially started this book in 2023, and it took me over a year to finish reading the book.
Initially it is a difficult book to understand and to familiarise oneself with the characters - particularly since some characters share the same name and the slow pacing of the book often left me uninterested in the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence