Disgrace

There are many reasons a reader may not like J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace. For starters, the subject matter is difficult. Some may find the book lacking in story. The writing is very Bookerish—it's sophisticated, it taps the emotions through the cerebral. One could say the novel is racist. Sexist. Disturbing—definitely disturbing.

The novel borders on many of these things, but I feel Coetzee does a fabulous job handling the matter with grace. His prose is tight and evocative. Every time a lag is foreseeable in the narrative, Coetzee turns up the tension. Given the book's size and delicate pace, it is amazing in the end how much ground is actually covered.

Readers of well-crafted literature should love this story. Aside from the brutality, the bleakness, the possibly offensive social commentaries, what is not to love?