Unfeeling: A Novel

This book was recommended to me by one of our great booksellers. I read it in one sitting and was stunned to learn that the author was only 28-years-old. The story is set in Zimbabwe just a few years back when President Mugabe passed a law allowing the mass seizure of white-owned farmlands without due compensation, reimbursement or payment. An angry militia took hold of key parts of the country and it is against this social and political upheaval that the story unfolds.

'Unfeeling' is the story of 16-year-old Davey Baker, whose parents are murdered by a small group of militia men as he crouches, frozen with fear, in his attic. After the attack he is rescued by Mike and Marsha De Wet, the next door neighbours who are like second family to him. They attempt to help him through his grief, but are themselves in denial about what is really happening in Zimbabwe. Months later, Davey is back at boarding school, but he cannot let go of his anger, the past, or what he believes should have been his future. Late one night, he leaves his dorm room and embarks on a dangerous cross-country trip back home. The journey, and what occurs when he confronts the new "owners" of his farm, is as gripping and moving a story as one could read.

After witnessing the brutal murder of his parents, 16 year-old Davey Baker is taken in by Mike and Marsha De Wet - neighbours and his parents' closest friends. Set during the farm attacks in Africa, Unfeeling explores the complexities of race and family relations following an act of incomprehensible violence.

Leaving nothing to the imagination, Holding will manage to horrify even the most seasoned reader with his gruesomely vivid descriptions of death. However, despite his brilliant writing, the story did become overly complicated and confusing at times. This may have been due to my limited knowledge about this horrifying period of history or Holding's desire to include too much. Either way, I would recommend a short history review prior to embarking on this particular adventure.

While I remained optimistic about the promised twist at the end, I was disappointed. Given what I had to endure to arrive at the end, I simply wanted a bit more. I reread portions hoping that I missed something significant and perhaps I did.

It took me a while to get used to the jumps from past to present and then from various action groups and to understand all the connections between characters, but then I liked it. A tragic story, however I didn't feel the connection, it was mostly a 'cold' reading, like something in history books - it reminds me of books studied in school. A good read after something more involving, like Still Alice.

Maybe not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a wonderful subtlety to the story that makes it flow so nicely. I really enjoyed reading it.