This book takes us into another world, showing the struggle of one man against his own heart in his own culture, and the far-reaching effects his failure has. We know this from the opening pages, narrated by his elderly aunt, who is a nearly omniscient narrator throughout. We hear the protagonist's voice sometimes, too. But what happens when you're obsessed with the idea of possessing a woman not your own? And you live in Apartheid South Africa mid-twentieth-century? And you are from a deeply religious family with mythically-strong family traditions?

The conflict is strong enough on its own, and in the hands of Alan Paton (*Cry the Beloved Country*) it is especially heartbreakingly beautiful.

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