Customer Reviews
An interesting read - By: Ibrahim Ali, 21 Apr 2008 
An interesting tale of post-apartheid South Africa, Frank, our lonesome doctor has thrust upon him young Lawrence whose serving his year out in the community. The setting takes place in a backwater town which seems to be slowly stagnating, but Lawrence with his ideals tries to change the place. There is little momentous action in the book; instead we see the effects of change & the subtleties of race relations in the New South Africa. A worthwhile read.
Well worth the effort - By: D. N. Carter, 28 Jan 2007 I found this an easy book to read, it is only 245 pages in length & though I am not a quick reader I finished it in a short time. Perhaps that has something to do with its page turning characteristics.
The book centres around a young doctor in South Africa (white) living & working in a remote primarily black area. As the story unfolds he is forced to recalll his past complicities, however minor, from a different age. It is unsettling, yet there is something about it that keeps you hooked right through to the end. Well worth the effort, & I would read more of Damon Galgut's work.
Dark and Beautiful - Don't be Put Off by Other Reviews! - By: , 19 Jul 2005 
I just had to review this book when I read the other (negative) reviews of Galgut's wonderful novel. Were we reading the same book? I absolutely loved it. No, it's not a tense thriller, but then I don't think that's what the author is trying to achieve. It has a wonderfully subtle plot to keep you gripped, but where this book reallly scored for me was in the writing. Galgut has created a compelling character in Laurence Waters (the 'Good Doctor'). Throughout the novel I willed Waters to be a better man than he was, to make me like him more, but he continuallly seemed capable only of curtailing his own happiness, revealing little of himself to the other characters in the book.
Perhaps this is what some other reviewers did not get when reading this book. Galgut shows extraordinary vision in his portrayal of a flawed man who doesn't want or need to be liked. This is not weak characterisation by the author!
If you want a fast paced book with twists in every chapter read a thriller. This book is alll about the writing, & Galgut thoroughly deserved his Man Booker shortlisting.
How did this get nominated for the Booker Prize?? - By: one-eyed Jack, 17 Jun 2005 
Tense & involving ? No.
An absorbing story? No.
A brilliant literary thriller ? No.
Life-altering? Absolutely not!
I had expected this to be reasonably good however, given its MAN Booker Prize nomination, instead it left me wondering about the standard of writing of the books that DIDN`T get nominated - they must have been pretty bad ! This is just passable pulp, a paper-thin story involving mostly uninteresting characters & with dark undertones of post-apartheid that I'm guessing may only reallly be understood by those who have lived & experienced that way of life. The central character (not the Good Doctor by the way) was, to me, a man of little character at alll & the only time I found myself interested in anything to do with him was during his brief visit to his rich & powerful father. As for the Good Doctor himself, well, he was initiallly portrayed as something of an enigma but as the story progressed he became more & more ordinary & his idealistic attempts at nobility proved anti-climactic at best. I believe that the real message of this book, assuming there is one, will only be appreciated by anyone who lives (or has lived) in or near to South Africa.
Where empathy is easier than understanding - By: Duncan, 19 Jan 2005 The characters of this book are set in South Africa, at a time of change, after aparthied rule, where politics play a large force in the people's everyday life. But the emotions felt by the books 'hero' are abstract from the current political climate & situation, framing clearly feelings we can emphasise with, but find hard to fully to understand.
Frank has many unanwsered questions & problems which affect his thinking, including his failed marriage & experiences in the army. Laurence, similarly, has his own problems, but the two characters couldn't be more different. And yet, they have something in common which you cannot easily place your finger on. The story offers no resolution to the two person's characters, not suggesting who is 'right' or 'wrong', but leaves you pondering the meaning of these two existences.
Personallly, the two characters mean a lot to me, as I have known both of them at different times in my life.
