Alan Paton: CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

The novel is touching and insightful. It tells the journey of Reverend Stephen Kumalo from a remote countryside in South Africa to Johannesburg.  He's been summoned to the city to help his sister, Gertrude,  who has been ill. While in the city, he will also look for his brother, now an influential 'politician,' and for his son, Absalom, who had never come back when sent to find Gertrude some years back. What Kumalo will find out is disheartening: his brother has changed to somebody he can't recognize, his sister has been involved  in some illegal activities; his son has been involved in the murder (or homicide) of an activist for racial justice. When he comes back to the countryside, he's determined to start changes that will do good to the (people of the) village.

Rating: 4.0/5.0