Disgrace takes place in apartheid South Africa, and told from the point of view of David Lurie, a literature professor in Cape Town. Lurie is an older man, faced with getting older, less attractive, and less interesting. His “disgrace” comes after having an affair with one of his students, causing him to resign from his position and return to the African countryside to live with his daughter, Lucy. As he starts to adjust slightly to the country life, tragedy strikes after three strangers visit. Leaving their house ransacked, David with burns after they attacked him, and Lucy turned to stone after being “disgraced” by the men, David starts to face his demons, and come to the realizations and consequences of his actions.
Though not the cheeriest book, Disgrace really gives insight into a male perspective. David Lurie, though a misogynist and overly-ironic man, does seem to have the best intentions when it comes to his daughter. Lucy herself is a feminist’s nightmare. Even though she owns her own part of land and is self-sufficient, after the attack she seems to believe that it was deserved and that because of the wrongs of apartheid, that her being raped was suitable punishment. In all, even if parts were disturbing, hard to digest, and some frustrating concepts, I feel that this is an important book that paints a detailed description of the troubles of apartheid South Africa, and of the human condition itself.
by Bethany Cluff
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