Book Review - The Power of One

Following on from my previous post, here is a review of The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay which was recommended to me by a friend.

Amazon's synopsis states:
"No stranger to the injustice of racial hatred, five-year-old Peekay learns the hard way the first secret of survival and self-preservation - the power of one. An encounter with amateur boxer Hoppie Groenewald inspires in Peekay a fiery ambition - to be welterweight champion of the world."

The story is told by the young English boy called Peekay who is growing up in 1930s/40s South Africa. (I've subsequently learnt that the story is based loosely on the author's life.) The author sucessfully achieves a child-like voice which grows in sophistication as the character grows. This provides a unique look at the racism and segregation between Boers or Afrikaners, other Whites, Coloureds (i.e. Indian or mixed race) and Blacks of different tribes.

Peekay meets a number of traditional and non-traditional mentor figures whilst he is growing up. He faces bullies, prejudice, violence, loss and the usual teenage issues.

Peekay becomes interested in boxing at a young age and this is one of his main motivations throughout the story.

Being English, he is an outside observer in a way, although his English background causes him problems of his own. He sees hatred between the Boers and Black Africans and how it is accepted within society. But he does not emulate the behaviour and, through a series of events, develops a powerful and unusual relationship with Black South Africans.

Through one of his more traditional mentors, the reader is introduced to the beauty of South Africa, while other characters provide a glimpse of the mystery and magic.

On one level it is a very personal story but, almost without realising it, the reader is also receiving a history lesson and is experiencing the story of South Africa itself.

There is no plot in the traditional sense so very occassionally I found myself thinking ahead or questioning the purpose of a scene but each episode in Peekays life has a structure and depth so this does not detract from the enjoyment of the book.

Ordinarily, I would not have picked this book off the shelf but I'm very glad that I acted on the recommendation.

Themes: opression of the individual and of cultural groups; growth and development; friendship; self-determination; the power of belief.

Stars: 4/5