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A review by celestesbookshelf
Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
-S. Africa pick for @the.storygraph Reads the World 2023
-1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
- The "Empire" in the novel has been recognized by readers and critics alike that it is Coetzee's native S. Africa. He is criticizing colonialism, treatment of native people and has a battle with himself on the justification of the "Empire's" brutality.
Trigger warning: sexual assault, torture
Really fantastic short novel, author is exceptional at describing the narrators internal struggle, his self-image, his awareness of how his age must seem to the women he takes to bed. Just raw and emotional.
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
- The "Empire" in the novel has been recognized by readers and critics alike that it is Coetzee's native S. Africa. He is criticizing colonialism, treatment of native people and has a battle with himself on the justification of the "Empire's" brutality.
Trigger warning: sexual assault, torture
Really fantastic short novel, author is exceptional at describing the narrators internal struggle, his self-image, his awareness of how his age must seem to the women he takes to bed. Just raw and emotional.
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!