A review by sam8834
Agaat, by Marlene van Niekerk

4.0

There's really a lot to digest in this book, much of which I can't articulate because I'm still thinking about all the pieces of it - the psychology of power dynamics between races and sexes illustrated through relationships between husband and wife, master and slave, caretaker and patient, children and maternal figures, and many more. Not to mention, these roles aren't cut and dried, and some characters fill opposing sides of the power spectrum at various points in their lives.

Also, poetic writing. Also, a chapter structure that takes a minute to get used to, but that unifies the whole epic story pretty well. This isn't the easiest read, but it's thought-provoking and worth the effort.