num_pages: 240
description: In the city of Johannesburg a father seeks his delinquent son. His search takes him through a labyrinth of murder, prostitution, racial hatred and, ultimately, reconciliation,In search of missing family members, Zulu priest Stephen Kumalo leaves his South African village to traverse the deep and perplexing city of Johannesburg in the 1940s. With his sister turned prostitute, his brother turned labor protestor and his son, Absalom, arrested for the murder of a white man, Kumalo must grapple with how to bring his family back from the brink of destruction as the racial tension throughout Johannesburg hampers his attempts to protect his family. With a deep yet gentle voice rounded out by his English accent, Michael York captures the tone and energy of this novel. His rhythmic narration proves hypnotizing. From the fierce love of Kumalo to the persuasive rhetoric of Kumalo's brother and the solemn regret of Absalom, York injects soul into characters tempered by their socioeconomic status as black South Africans.
language: English
title: Cry, The Beloved Country: A Story of Comfort in Desolation
titlecomplete: Cry, The Beloved Country: A Story of Comfort in Desolation
characters: Msimangu, Absalom Kumalo, James Jarvis, Stephen Kumalo
genres: Fiction, Historical, South Africa, School, Literature, Classics, Novels, High School, Historical Fiction, Africa
ratings_count: 73547
places: South Africa
awards: awardedAt: -662659200000
name: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
category: Fiction
publisher: Penguin