Disgrace by: J. M. Coetzee
review by: Ben Frazell '03
I strongly recommend Disgrace by South African author J. M. Coetzee. With this novel, Coetzee became the first author to win a second Booker Prize. A friend lent the book to me and I devoured it in less than a day. The novel is about David Lurie, a middle-aged English professor who is forced to leave his university in shame because of a relationship with a student. Wanting an escape, he goes to spend some time with his daughter living in rural South Africa. His visit, initially spent helping out at the farm and volunteering at a local animal clinic, proves to be anything but tranquil. Coetzee's simple yet powerful prose touches on family, sex, animals, politics, and spirituality. It's a book that raises many questions and leaves the reader with no easy answers. It will haunt me for a long time to come.