Shirley Kossick
THE MATCH by Ben Temkin (New Millenium, R65)
BEN TEMKIN is the author of several non- fiction works, mainly in the field of finance. This is his first venture into comic fiction, but his sense of humour can be glimpsed in the witty title for his study of two stock exchange swindlers – “Fiddlers on the Reef”.
In The Match he puts his knowledge of South Africa and its history to good use in a satire whose prologue sets the fictional town of Trekseinde in an authentic-sounding historical context. The events that follow as the inhabitants of this little dorp attempt – or fail to attempt – to come to terms with the new South Africa are highly amusing.
The main issue, as the title implies, and the source of consternation to the verkrampte whites of Trekseinde, is the integration of school sport decreed by the government. Complete with vicious editorials from the local newspapers, biased reporting on the pirate radio station (named, ironically, Radio Liberty) and a new terrorist movement with a scatological acronym, The Match reflects and deflates many recent incidents.
Whether the book will appeal to anyone unfamiliar with this country’s past and present tribulations is a moot point. However, as a South African I found the thinly-veiled political parody great fun, and its ultimate intimations of reconciliation and hope encouraging.
GRANTCHESTER GRIND: A PORTERHOUSE CHRONICLE by Tom Sharpe (Pan, R42,99)
AFTER a break of 12 years, Tom Sharpe is back on form and back at Porterhouse College where Skullian – formerly the head porter – now reigns as master. But the College has serious financial problems (not to mention the general moral malaise) that demand inventive solutions.
Perhaps not quite as vigorous as some of Sharpe’s earlier novels, this is still a work of high farce and outrageous plot dexterously managed. Some of the situations are hilarious (as when Myrtle Ransby gets trapped in a black latex bodysuit) though not always in the best of taste. But then, according to one of the characters, “good jokes so seldom are”.
THIS IS IT by Joseph Connolly (Faber & Faber, R65)
WHILE Sharpe’s humour tends towards the undergraduate, the satirical writing of Joseph Connolly is altogether more adult, though at times equally farcical. The cover blurb calls it “skittish”, but I find nothing of that quality in this profoundly black comedy of manners. Clever with words, witty and excellent at delineating character, Connolly develops an intricate plot of social and sexual relationships gone awry. The interaction among his fairly small cast, fraught with intrigue and deceit, is presented with a sharp eye for human folly and an even sharper ear for credible dialogue.
The book has some very funny moments, but its central impulse is more sombre than comic and is neatly contained in the title: This Is It. What dawns upon Eric, the despairing protagonist, is that what he is experiencing is not a dress rehearsal for life – “we’re not in the middle of a dry run for the real thing” – but the real thing itself.
GOOD BENITO by Alan Lightman (Sceptre, R42,95)
This novel opens with Bennett – nicknamed “Good Benito” by a childhood friend – being urged by the dean of his university faculty to encourage an elderly physicist to publish again. But, though Bennett collaborates with the older man on several projects, once a problem nears resolution, Scalapino loses all interest.
Not very enticing subject matter, one may think, but Alan Lightman, who is professor of science and writing at the Massachusets Institute of Technology, actually succeeds in making physics exciting. Even with no knowledge or understanding of the problems Bennett undertakes, we are drawn into the triumphs and disappointments of the tasks and the urgency of each new quest.
An enigmatic last chapter involving a niece not encountered earlier makes a rather unconvincing ending. For the rest, however, Lightman has created a moving and unusual coming-of-age novel.