Reading in Reykjavík

Here is my African entry in the Global Reading Challenge , which marks the halfway point in the challenge for me. The author is South-African and the book takes place during the period of transition in the 1990s when Apartheid ended. I am not knowledgeable enough about the recent history of South Africa to be able to tell if it happens after or shortly before the racial segregation ended, but I am inclined to think it’s before. Although this is a first novel, it was not written by a novice writer – the author had already published poetry and several award-winning plays when he wrote it. Year published: 1995 Genre: Novel Setting & time: South Africa, an unnamed city and a village, 1990s with flashbacks to the 1970s and 80s. Toloki, a homeless man living on the street, has carved out a niche for himself as a professional mourner. Paid by relatives of the deceased, he goes to funerals and grieves for the dead. One day at a funeral he meets Noria, a woman from his home village, w...

Year of publication: 1971 Series and no.: Kramer & Zondi, no. 1. Genre: Police procedural Type of mystery: Murder Type of investigator: Police Setting & time: A fictional city in South-Africa, 1970s. Story: The clever murder of a young woman is discovered by accident and Lieutenant Kramer and his assistant, D.S. Zondi, are handed the case. They discover a number of surprises about the young woman, who had lived a double life, and the people who might have wanted her dead. Review and rating: This is the first book in a series featuring the unlikely but efficient detective team of Kramer and Zondi. The story takes place in Apartheid-era South-Africa and Kramer is an Afrikaner and Zondi a Zulu, which makes for a complicated, layered relationship. Kramer is careful to maintain an outward appearance of being a proper white supremacist, but when more closely examined the relationship between the two men is really one between a senior officer and a loyal junior one and clearly ...