Nancy S. (avidbookcollector) -
Owen Simmons is selected to take over after the death of his editor, Cartwright. As he begins to go through Cartwright's folders, he discovers a photo of Owen's friends and colleagues taken during his time in Africa as a correspondent during the 1990s. As he studies the photo, it takes him back to those days, reopening wounds that he'd rather not remember, some of which, in fact, he's mentally disengaged from. In Not Untrue and Not Unkind we follow events of Simmons' past in Africa as he reflects backwards in time, interspersed with events of the present.
But the story isn't really about events per se in Africa, although Simmons was there (for example, at the end of the Rwandan genocide in the Congo) when things were really still very hot; rather, it's about the relationship among a group of journalists in Simmons' circle. These people are not glitzy media stars but professional and freelance reporters and photographers out there to scoop the next story. For the most part, these people tend to be callous and shallow, often living and working in emotional disconnect from their surroundings. There is always an undercurrent of tension among the group with feelings often left unspoken and thus not dealt with, especially with Simmons, who can't seem to admit his feelings even to himself and who sometimes has trouble trying to make sense of things. On the whole, they're not likable characters that you can actually warm up to at any point in the story.
The author saves any kind of emotional high note until the end, so you really do have to read through the entire story to make sense of it all. It's slow going until you get there, but well worth the read. I was surprised to discover that Not Untrue and Not Unkind was his first novel because for the most part, the writing is not something you'd expect from a debut.
I recommend it with a few cautions: it's very slow, and you're not going to get any real insights into the whys of the horrors or atrocities of the wars in Africa even though some of the scenes are a bit stomach churning; it's also character, rather than action driven, and the slow pace may also be a turnoff for some readers. Overall, though, I liked it and thought it well worth the time I put into it.
But the story isn't really about events per se in Africa, although Simmons was there (for example, at the end of the Rwandan genocide in the Congo) when things were really still very hot; rather, it's about the relationship among a group of journalists in Simmons' circle. These people are not glitzy media stars but professional and freelance reporters and photographers out there to scoop the next story. For the most part, these people tend to be callous and shallow, often living and working in emotional disconnect from their surroundings. There is always an undercurrent of tension among the group with feelings often left unspoken and thus not dealt with, especially with Simmons, who can't seem to admit his feelings even to himself and who sometimes has trouble trying to make sense of things. On the whole, they're not likable characters that you can actually warm up to at any point in the story.
The author saves any kind of emotional high note until the end, so you really do have to read through the entire story to make sense of it all. It's slow going until you get there, but well worth the read. I was surprised to discover that Not Untrue and Not Unkind was his first novel because for the most part, the writing is not something you'd expect from a debut.
I recommend it with a few cautions: it's very slow, and you're not going to get any real insights into the whys of the horrors or atrocities of the wars in Africa even though some of the scenes are a bit stomach churning; it's also character, rather than action driven, and the slow pace may also be a turnoff for some readers. Overall, though, I liked it and thought it well worth the time I put into it.
