It was very pleasurable to read
something so different. No detectives or crash bang wallop to be found. It is
well written, erudite and offers a certain insightful wisdom if you want to
look for it. If not, it is just a good entertaining read. I look forward to his
next offering. (Review by Keith Millar)
It was the blurb on the back cover of this
book which first drew me to it.
Back cover blurbs are so often a disappointment with the story between the covers bearing little resemblance to the précis.
However, on this occasion the blurb writer has it spot on. Comments such as an enchanting adventure, magical and quirky and erudite and wise, along with a description of some of the quirkiest characters you are ever likely to come across, are a very accurate depiction of this captivating debut novel by author Sven Axelrad.
So kudos to the blurb writer, but most definitely kudos to the author as well, who has produced a story which is charming, humorous, and unconventional.
Axelrad himself appears to be a little unconventional. Born in New Zealand to a French father and a South African mother, he now lives in Durban. He is an accountant by profession. So, bang goes the theory that number crunches can’t be creative and a little off-the-wall.
He is an avid reader, consuming up to 65 books a year, is covered in tattoos (again unusual for an accountant), plays the guitar, and loves his dog.
And certainly has a wonderful imagination, creating a magical setting for his story and populating it with a cast of wonderful eccentric characters.
This adds up to a book which is easy to read and difficult to put down. I found that most of the time I was reading with a grin on my face.
He is erudite. I have always fancied my vocabulary but with this book I found it wise to have a dictionary close at hand. But it is not excessive or obnoxious and fits in well with his style of writing.
The story is set in the town of Vivo where the cemetery is run by old Mateus and his dog (named God). Mateus’ eyes aren’t so good these days (besides he is dyslexic) which is why he has been burying bodies in the wrong graves. As a result, the ghosts of Vivo are gathering, unable to move onto the afterlife without knowing who they are.
While out walking with God, Mateus meets a young homeless girl, Novo, who on a whim he appoints as his apprentice. When Mateus passes on, it becomes Novo’s problem to reorganise the cemetery.
Anything is possible in this story as the ghosts and the living get together to solve Vivo, and the cemetery’s problems. Even the flowers growing on the graves have a conversation at one point.
Buried Treasure is published by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The ISBN is 9781415211083, and the recommended retail price is R290. – Keith Millar
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