Get a Life

Yona ke yona, Nadine Gordimer excels in this often detatched narrative that is a culmination of a lot of her writing on South Africa. Moving from a local to a global context, the book uses a family's crises (a serious illness of the son, affairs of the loves) to weave a story that seems more relevant now than it would have when published in 2005, highlighting the environmental crisis while keeping strong the undercurrent of recent apartheid politics. The writing flows like flooded valleys, and slows to stark, karst passages, usually distant when it seems it should be most intense. A beautifully constructed novel about modern times.

I finished this book a few days ago, and have been reluctant to review it. This is partly because I have a lot of respect for Gordimer, but I find her books rather difficult to enjoy, and this is a matter of style and personal taste. This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2006.

It does have some interesting components, and some of the human stories are quite moving, but for me it was trying to do too many things, especially for a short novel. It starts with Paul Bannerman, an ecologist in his mid-thirties who is recovering from cancer and has just had radiation therapy. Because he is still radioactive, he moves in to his parents house (at their request) to protect his wife and young son. The wife works in advertising, which show more creates a degree of tension with his idealism. Other storylines focus on the cracks in the parents' superficially perfect marriage, the ecological issues Paul faces through his work and his mother's decision to adopt an orphaned child with AIDS. show less

I'm very ambivolent about this book:
the writing is very poetic, but very difficult;
the characters unfurl slowly until we get to know them well, but they are easily confused - the women are strong and independant, the men are sensitive and understanding (although both have major faults)
the plot seems stereotypical (ecology vs industrial development) but at the same time we get a unique glimpse into modern South Africa.
As I said, I'm ambivolent...

I found the reading difficult sometimes, but the plot and characters compelling. How does a man respond when he becomes off-limits, radioactive? How does it affect the rest of the people in his life? Wife, mother, son, father? Interesting to catch a glimpse of post-apartheid South Africa.

Get a Life is a relatively new book by the South African Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer. Gordimer is known for her spare, yet descriptive and lyrical prose. This novel is no exception. Get a Life tells the story of Paul Bannerman, a 35 year old father of a young son who is diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As part of his treatment regimen, Paul is left temporarily radioactive, and unable to be around his young son. So Paul decamps to his childhood home, to be cared for by his parents and Primrose, the faithful family servant.

This novel follows Paul and his family through his recovery, as well as his parents’ journey towards their upcoming retirement. As in real life, the family’s journey takes unexpected turns; some happy, show more others less so.

Like other novels by South African writers, the shadow of apartheid, now abolished, underlays much that the family experiences.The book is also peppered with typical South African phrases, based on native languages. Fortunately, there is also a brief glossary.

Gordimer’s writing style requires a bit of adjusting. She appears to skip through events but if read carefully, it is possible to follow the plot. If you’ve never read Gordimer before, keep plugging away. Get a Life is worth the difficulties involved. show less

Nadine Gordimer is a brilliant author. She starts off her books at a slow pace, then the story suddenly picks up a whirlwind speed and the equations alter significantly.
Get a Life is about a man's emotions on being quarantined after receiving radioactive treatment for cancer, and how he rebonds with his mother and takes a look at his life during this phase.
As is usual with Nadine's themes, she weaves in racial divisions and moral questions into the story.
A good read. And a great author.

I hadn't read any of Nadine Gordimer's books before and after this I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to read any more. Uninvolving plot and characters together with a difficult writing style don't make things easy. There is no doubt that Ms Gordimer is a clever and intelligent writer. The fault probably lies with me in that I didn't think the reward from trying harder with the book would be worth the effort. Or maybe this was a good writer just churning out another novel to keep the production line going and the brain ticking over.