Why read The Heart of Redness?

Book cover of The Heart of Redness

Book description

A startling novel by the leading writer of the new South Africa

In The Heart of Redness -- shortlisted for the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize -- Zakes Mda sets a story of South African village life against a notorious episode from the country's past. The result is a novel of…

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Literary fiction

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Heart of Redness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Justin Fox

Author

The Heart of Redness is set in a rural Xhosa village on the Wild Coast of South Africa—a pristine environment threatened by a casino and hotel development. I used to visit this area on holidays as a child and was captivated by the rural way of life, tribal huts, unspoiled beaches, and dreamy lagoons. Mda is a master at capturing the beauty and romance of that coast through his evocative prose. The novel also presents a sober warning about the fragility of these environments and how easily they can be destroyed by unscrupulous development.

From Justin's list on The best literature to understand South Africa’s landscape and beauty.