Basil Lawrence is a South African born writer who now lives in London. At The Edge of the Desert is his second novel.
His first book, Henry First: A Story of Excess, received considerable critical acclaim. Phrases words used to describe it included “laced with potent dark humour, darkly satirical, wickedly funny, sharply comical moments” and “the tone is surprisingly light, like an airy soufflé́”.
Well, as far At The Edge Of The Desert is concerned, the only word I would retain from the above is “dark”. I found the story to be dark, brooding, anxious and rather moody.
One of the reasons for this may be the location of the story. It is set in the isolated and desolate Namibian town of Lüderitz. Built in colonial times by the Germans, the town is perched between the desert on the ice-cold Atlantic ocean.
It was founded on the back of the area’s richness in diamonds and fishing at that time. Both industries are now in serious decline and, beyond tourism, the town has little to offer.
Another reason for the brooding nature of the story is the main character, Henry Van Wyk.
A young man and filled with angst and despair, he is struggling to come to terms with childhood tragedies while his film-making career, and his love life is floundering.
Having said all that, I must clarify that I did not dislike this book. Basil Lawrence has a very elegant style, and he keeps up interest throughout the story. He has created many bold and arresting characters who add considerable spice to the story.
The plots are attention-grabbing from Henry’s agonising over his final edit of the documentary he is attempting to make about the horrific prison gangs in South Africa - to the saga eccentric British couple who trying to setup a rather bizarre commune in the desert.
But the most disturbing and most important storyline is about Henry’s investigation into Lüderitz’s terrible history. In early years of the last century, the Germans set-up a POW/extermination camp on Shark Island at Lüderitz. Scores of Namibia’s indigenous people were housed in the most appalling conditions and many thousands died because of the deprivations they suffered.
Nothing much light-hearted there. But it does not matter. I found the book gripping if at times disturbing, but it was difficult to put down and in many ways informative.
At The Edge Of The Desert is published by Penguin Random House (South Africa). The ISBN is 978-1-4859-0409-0. The suggested retail price is R280. – Keith Millar
Posts
