Disgrace is a relatively short book but it contains plenty to think about. Set in contemporary South Africa, it’s the story of David Lurie, an amorous 52-year-old university professor, who through an indiscretion with a student, succeeds in losing his position at the university. In order to escape the commotion in Cape Town following his resignation, he moves in with his daughter Lucy, whose lifestyle he does not exactly approve of, out in the country for a period of time. When his daughter is raped and robbed by three black men, he is confronted with both the difficult dynamics of his relationship with her as well as the simmering racial tensions and complexities in South Africa. His disapproval of the life Lucy has chosen for herself becomes a microcosm for the issue of race in South Africa and the differing levels of generational tollerance over what is occuring within the country. Throughout the book, the word ‘disgrace’ takes on several meanings—David Lurie’s actions that led to his losing his teaching position; Lucy’s feelings after being savagely raped; the racial climate in South Africa.

This is the first book by J. M. Coetzee I’ve read and what struck me immediately was the simplicity of Coetzee’s prose. It’s simple and yet it flows. I appreciate that Coetzee can tell an extremely compelling story in writing that is clear and straightforward.

**

Although Disgrace is not a cheerful novel, it does contain a little wry humor:

“[T]o me animal welfare people are a bit like Christians of a certain kind. Everyone is so cheerful and well-intentioned that after a while you itch to go off and do some raping and pillaging. Or to kick a cat.”

“All right, I’ll do it. But only as long as I don’t have to become a better person. I am not prepared to be reformed. I want to go on being myself.”