"So flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly,
ominously possible."--Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review****
A startling, imaginative novel from the winner of the Nobel Prize in
Literature
A violent war for equality has come to the white suburbs, driving out
the ruling minority
For years, it had been what is called a "deteriorating situation." Now
all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the
Smales family--liberal whites--are rescued from the terror by their
servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to
the Smaleses and to July--the shifts in character and
relationships--gives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit
understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.