A review by turophile
A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
3.0
Not sure how to rate this one. The author recreated the world of South Africa as apartheid was beginning. South Africa’s history with is something I’m aware of, but like so many other eras of history I don’t know nearly as much as I should. The book immerses the reader in what it was like for people of different races at that time in a way that simply reading dry fiction would not. The prose also painted the countryside, the climate, the people in a way that you could visualize everything, but without diving into flowery language.
The mystery also unfolded well. I did not suspect who committed the murder, but I didn’t feel like the author had somehow cheated me by not giving me the facts.
* Spoilerish comment*
What I didn’t like is that the mystery and other aspects of the story tied back to sexual violence. It’s just not something I need to read about. Yes, it happens. But there are other ways to build a story and I’d rather read stories built in other ways.
This is why I am waffling in my rating. I really enjoyed the author's writing, but I dislike that line of storytelling. 4 for writing, 3 for story.
The mystery also unfolded well. I did not suspect who committed the murder, but I didn’t feel like the author had somehow cheated me by not giving me the facts.
* Spoilerish comment*
What I didn’t like is that the mystery and other aspects of the story tied back to sexual violence. It’s just not something I need to read about. Yes, it happens. But there are other ways to build a story and I’d rather read stories built in other ways.
This is why I am waffling in my rating. I really enjoyed the author's writing, but I dislike that line of storytelling. 4 for writing, 3 for story.