I don't dispute the novel's realism and I am aware of the controversy it caused regarding rape which I found to be unfair (I expected ANC figures like Mbeki to criticize the book but I was upset that Gordimer also did). But the message of the book (or at least what I took from it) is that whites in South Africa, especially rural South Africa have 2 choices, to leave, to assimilate (hence Lucy's acceptance of polygamy) or death. Maybe this is so. This is what I find depressing.
But the message of the book (or at least what I took from it) is that whites in South Africa, especially rural South Africa have 2 choices, to leave, to assimilate (hence Lucy's acceptance of polygamy) or death. Maybe this is so. This is what I find depressing.