An aging writer makes notes in his diary: he has opinions about everything from Guantanamo Bay to the creative truth of dreams, from democracy in Australia to the meaning of dishonour.
His mesmeric voice, deeply concerned with contemporary politics, is challenged by Anya, the smart, irreverent young woman whom he hires to type his diary notes.
Meanwhile Alan, Anya's money-making boyfriend, scorns everything the writer believes in, and schemes against him.
With its three dynamic and charged voices, this may be the most original work of fiction to appear for years.
Nobody likes a challenge more than a book club, and this month's book provided just that! J.M. Coetzee managed to take the simple task of reading a novel to new heights with his Diary of a Bad Year. But rather than be put off by a series of narrative tricks, our group embraced this book as a remarkable, intelligent and thoroughly satisfying read.
It was noted by more than a few of us that Coetzee did a brilliant job of creating an entertaining, yet thought provoking novel in a format that cleverly worked as a vehicle for some of his own beliefs and observations.
As the narrative jumps from character to character within each page, the decision on how to read this book is the first step ... all but a few of us went with a page by page approach, although there were times when reading ahead was near on impossible not to do. Multiple bookmarks were then called for! Even with these restrictions, it was agreed that this book literally screams out for a second reading.
Looking for something a little different? This is it!
His mesmeric voice, deeply concerned with contemporary politics, is challenged by Anya, the smart, irreverent young woman whom he hires to type his diary notes.
Meanwhile Alan, Anya's money-making boyfriend, scorns everything the writer believes in, and schemes against him.
With its three dynamic and charged voices, this may be the most original work of fiction to appear for years.
Nobody likes a challenge more than a book club, and this month's book provided just that! J.M. Coetzee managed to take the simple task of reading a novel to new heights with his Diary of a Bad Year. But rather than be put off by a series of narrative tricks, our group embraced this book as a remarkable, intelligent and thoroughly satisfying read.
It was noted by more than a few of us that Coetzee did a brilliant job of creating an entertaining, yet thought provoking novel in a format that cleverly worked as a vehicle for some of his own beliefs and observations.
As the narrative jumps from character to character within each page, the decision on how to read this book is the first step ... all but a few of us went with a page by page approach, although there were times when reading ahead was near on impossible not to do. Multiple bookmarks were then called for! Even with these restrictions, it was agreed that this book literally screams out for a second reading.
Looking for something a little different? This is it!
