Fathers and Fugitives

Daniel queer is a journalist living in London. His relationships appear to be sexually fulfilling but sentimentally meagre. He has no relationships outside of sexual ones, and can seem at once callow and, at times, cold to the point of cruel with his lovers. Emotionally distant from his elderly father, Daniel returns to South Africa to care for him during his final months. Following his fathers death, Daniel learns of an unusual clause in the old mans will: he will only inherit his half of his fathers estate once he has spent time with Theon, a cousin whom he hasnt seen since they were boys, who lives on the old family farm in the Free State. Once there, Daniel discovers that the young son of the woman Theon lives with is seriously ill. With the conditions bearing on Daniels inheritance shifting in real time, Theon and Daniel travel to Japan for an experimental cure and a voyage that will change their lives forever.

S J Naudés masterful novel is many things at once: a literary page page-turner full of vivid, unexpected characters and surprising twists; a loving and at times shockingly raw portrayal of its protagonists complex psyche; and a devastatingly subtle look into South Africas fraught recent history.