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Ishmael Toffee
ON A KNIFE-EDGE
Ishmael Toffee has killed more men than he can remember. His knife put him behind bars and kept him there for twenty years as a prison gang assassin until he lost his taste for blood. Paroled, he finds himself with no money and no family. And no knife in his hand.
He gets a job as a gardener at the luxurious home of a prominent lawyer and makes an unexpected friend--Cindy, the lawyer's six-year-old daughter. When Ishmael discovers that Cindy is being raped by her father he must choose: abandon the girl and walk away, or do what he does best . . .
A gut-wrenching novella of violence and redemption from the award-winning author of DUST DEVILS, WAKE UP DEAD and MIXED BLOOD.
BONUS CONTENT: FALLING, a previously unpublished short story.
Ishmael Toffee has killed more men than he can remember. His knife put him behind bars and kept him there for twenty years as a prison gang assassin until he lost his taste for blood. Paroled, he finds himself with no money and no family. And no knife in his hand.
He gets a job as a gardener at the luxurious home of a prominent lawyer and makes an unexpected friend--Cindy, the lawyer's six-year-old daughter. When Ishmael discovers that Cindy is being raped by her father he must choose: abandon the girl and walk away, or do what he does best . . .
A gut-wrenching novella of violence and redemption from the award-winning author of DUST DEVILS, WAKE UP DEAD and MIXED BLOOD.
BONUS CONTENT: FALLING, a previously unpublished short story.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 22, 2012
19 people are currently reading
379 people want to read
About the author
Roger Smith
11 books118 followersRoger Smith's thrillers
Nowhere, Man Down, Sacrifices, Capture, Dust Devils, Wake Up Dead, Mixed Blood & Ishmael Toffee
are published in eight languages and two are in development as movies in the U.S.
His books have won the German Crime Award and been nominated for Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel awards. He also writes horror under the pen name Max Wilde.
“Roger Smith writes with brutal beauty." The Washington Post
“Smith’s writing is astonishing.” Cleveland Plain Dealer
“You’ll struggle to find a more forceful voice in current crime writing.”
Die Zeit (Germany)
“Smith is the shooting star of the crime scene.” Radio Europe
"If you are a fan of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, give Roger Smith a close look." BookPage
His books have won the German Crime Award and been nominated for Spinetingler Magazine Best Novel awards. He also writes horror under the pen name Max Wilde.
“Roger Smith writes with brutal beauty." The Washington Post
“Smith’s writing is astonishing.” Cleveland Plain Dealer
“You’ll struggle to find a more forceful voice in current crime writing.”
Die Zeit (Germany)
“Smith is the shooting star of the crime scene.” Radio Europe
"If you are a fan of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, give Roger Smith a close look." BookPage
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 1, 2018
3.5 stars. A local magazine recently published a list of South Africa's top crime writers and it included Roger Smith. I decided to start with this 200 page novella to see if I enjoyed his writing.
I'm not sure that enjoy would be the correct word to describe my feelings about Ishmael Toffee. Well written, I finished this book in one sitting, but it was also one of the most disturbing books I've read. I think this is probably because the violence forms an almost mundane part of the story. And even though I was rooting for Ishmael, the author threads through constant reminders of his murderous past, which makes for very uncomfortable reading.
The Story: Ishmael Toffee has just been released from Pollsmoor prison after serving twenty years for multiple murders. Paroled, he returns The Flats, the massive ramshackle shanty at the edge of Cape Town and starts work a gardener in a rich, white household. The young daughter asks for help. She is being sexually abused by the father, hence the suicide of her mother a few months previously.
I'm not sure that enjoy would be the correct word to describe my feelings about Ishmael Toffee. Well written, I finished this book in one sitting, but it was also one of the most disturbing books I've read. I think this is probably because the violence forms an almost mundane part of the story. And even though I was rooting for Ishmael, the author threads through constant reminders of his murderous past, which makes for very uncomfortable reading.
The Story: Ishmael Toffee has just been released from Pollsmoor prison after serving twenty years for multiple murders. Paroled, he returns The Flats, the massive ramshackle shanty at the edge of Cape Town and starts work a gardener in a rich, white household. The young daughter asks for help. She is being sexually abused by the father, hence the suicide of her mother a few months previously.
February 18, 2016
This tale follows the title character, a career hitter for local Cape Town gangs. He and his knife have been doing good work for about 30 years, 20 of those behind bars, killing efficiently and without remorse. Then one day, he just doesn't want to do it anymore. Maybe you can call it rehabilitation, or maybe you can just call it a simple mid-life crisis. He discovers a love for gardening and is soon paroled. Suddenly in a new, tough outside world that's moved on since he's left it, he tries his best to stay out of trouble But trouble finds him after he takes a job pulling weeds in a rich lawyer's yard, and befriends the man's 6-year-old daughter. Ishmael soon finds another reason to take up a knife after discovering that the lawyer takes nightly trips into his daughter's bed at night.
This Kindle novella is a REALLY brutal one, but powerfully written. I had a hard time reading about some of the violence and terror inflicted upon children, but the struggle that Ishmael goes through to do the right thing, and his relationship with little Cindy, kept me reading. It's tightly paced and nerve-wracking. The author never makes the big mistake of apologizing for Ishmael's terrible past or asking us to forgive him.. Instead he just asks that we believe in rehabilitation.
The book also includes a bonus short story called "Falling," another hard-hitting story of the struggle for redemption. In this one, the main character is a cinematographer (which is what I do for a career, so I got a kick outta that!) who, through bad choices now, only shoots low budget porn flicks, and sparks a connection with one of the actresses.
I had never heard of this author before. Thank you to Goodreader Paul for recommending this and helping me discover that this writer has a bunch of thrillers set in inner city Cape Town that sound really intriguing! Time to add another writer to the to-read list! But his novels might not be for the faint of heart...
This Kindle novella is a REALLY brutal one, but powerfully written. I had a hard time reading about some of the violence and terror inflicted upon children, but the struggle that Ishmael goes through to do the right thing, and his relationship with little Cindy, kept me reading. It's tightly paced and nerve-wracking. The author never makes the big mistake of apologizing for Ishmael's terrible past or asking us to forgive him.. Instead he just asks that we believe in rehabilitation.
The book also includes a bonus short story called "Falling," another hard-hitting story of the struggle for redemption. In this one, the main character is a cinematographer (which is what I do for a career, so I got a kick outta that!) who, through bad choices now, only shoots low budget porn flicks, and sparks a connection with one of the actresses.
I had never heard of this author before. Thank you to Goodreader Paul for recommending this and helping me discover that this writer has a bunch of thrillers set in inner city Cape Town that sound really intriguing! Time to add another writer to the to-read list! But his novels might not be for the faint of heart...
November 11, 2012
Former gang banger and prison assassin turned civilian and gardener for the rich , Ishmael Toffee doesn't get the opportunity to live life on the outside for long before his talents are called upon. This time round, it's not some gang beef that has him reaching for his blood encrusted tradition, rather, 6yr old Cindy, the victim of a father who loves his daughter in all the inappropriate ways.
This is a powerful novella. It's noir filled with heart-warming and heartbreaking moments. Ishmael and Cindy are beautifully written, their connection hard to miss, their shared struggle sure to consume the reader throughout. Author Roger Smith manages to capture the hearts and mind of his readers in a tightly bundled package and never fails to hold them until the last word is read.
With the central character being a seemingly reformed ex-con, and the home of a rich South African man the place-setting, this had the hallmarks of a typical bad guy goes bad again yet Smith delivers an emotionally gripping tale that deals with sexual abuse, kindness, typecasts, poverty, and deep characterisation many would struggle to achieve in longer formats. Essential reading. 5 stars.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
This is a powerful novella. It's noir filled with heart-warming and heartbreaking moments. Ishmael and Cindy are beautifully written, their connection hard to miss, their shared struggle sure to consume the reader throughout. Author Roger Smith manages to capture the hearts and mind of his readers in a tightly bundled package and never fails to hold them until the last word is read.
With the central character being a seemingly reformed ex-con, and the home of a rich South African man the place-setting, this had the hallmarks of a typical bad guy goes bad again yet Smith delivers an emotionally gripping tale that deals with sexual abuse, kindness, typecasts, poverty, and deep characterisation many would struggle to achieve in longer formats. Essential reading. 5 stars.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
March 21, 2012
Thank god that ebooks have brought the novella back to life by creating a market for titles like this one. I started reading this on my commute home with no intent of finishing it the same evening--but it's that kind of book: you'll read it even though you had other plans. Ishmael Toffee is a blistering thrill ride that grabs you with its talons and won't let go. With its setting in the slums and suburbs of Cape Town and fresh characters delineated crisply, this story doesn't waste one word. Next time you feel tempted to watch some warmed-over recycled attempt at noir on cable or Netflix, plunk down a few bucks for Ishmael Toffee instead. It's better noir than I've seen on screen in years, yet only takes about two hours to read. It's a better thriller than works four times its length. Roger Smith is one helluva writer, and this work crackles with the same kind of energy as Jim Thompson or Richard Stark at their mad best.
October 12, 2015
This novella is an excellent introduction to the gritty writing of Roger Smith.
Ishmael Toffee was a killer for a black gang, a hired hand in Tin Town, a shanty town in South Africa. As this story opens, Toffee is paroled from prison after serving 20 years to work as a gardener for a white lawyer, who has a 6 year old daughter. The little girl tells Ishmael her Father is abusing her sexually. Ishmael knows he should walk away, but he can't. He must save this little white girl.
At the end of this novella, is a short story called 'Fallen'. Apparently Roger Smith doesn't DO nice.
A solid 3 1/2 stars from me.
Ishmael Toffee was a killer for a black gang, a hired hand in Tin Town, a shanty town in South Africa. As this story opens, Toffee is paroled from prison after serving 20 years to work as a gardener for a white lawyer, who has a 6 year old daughter. The little girl tells Ishmael her Father is abusing her sexually. Ishmael knows he should walk away, but he can't. He must save this little white girl.
At the end of this novella, is a short story called 'Fallen'. Apparently Roger Smith doesn't DO nice.
A solid 3 1/2 stars from me.
March 2, 2012
This is a fast-paced, powerful noir novella about Ishmael Toffee, a contract killer who one decides he's had enough of the grisly trade and takes up gardening. After he's paroled, he gets hired by a rich white man who does bad things to his six-year-old daughter Cindy. Ishmael takes angry exception to that injustice, and things unravel in blood fashion from there. The vivid gritty descriptions add to the novella's considerable appeal.
July 8, 2012
Smith has been described as the South African Elmore Leonard and I think this is who his writing reminds me of most. This is just a novella length story of reformed gangster turned gardener Ishmael Toffee who befriends the young white daughter of the employer who he goes to work for. She confides in him that she is being sexually abused by her father and Ishmael is faced with the dilemma of either having to walk away or take matters into his own hands. Smith as usual paints a vivid picture of modern day Cape Town and the disparity that exists between rich and poor and also the racism that still exists in the country. Not only between black and white but between all the various ethnic groups.
There is also the added bonus of an additional short story tagged on at the end of the book which tells the story of a 'down on his luck' cameraman Ford and his meeting with a porn star from his most recent assignment.
There is also the added bonus of an additional short story tagged on at the end of the book which tells the story of a 'down on his luck' cameraman Ford and his meeting with a porn star from his most recent assignment.
September 22, 2012
I loved everything about the novella ‘Ishmael Toffee’. Was drawn in by the voice and the subject immediately.
Ishmael’s just out of prison. He’s a killer who suddenly tired of killing. Whilst watching his back in the cells, he discovered a new freedom in the form of gardening, a new connection with the earth and the way things might be. He’s hard, poor and covered in tattoos.
His rehabilitation is to be encouraged by work – a job in the garden of a rich, white man in the luxurious settings of a mightily secure house where only the help has colour to their skin.
There’s a snake in the garden, mind. Family life is not all it should be. Ishmael knows that what’s happening is wrong, but he also knows that trying to help will get him in to no end of trouble. It’s a question of whether the old or the new Ishmael is going to show up and I’m not going to tell you how it shapes up.
It’s a fantastic piece of fiction which deals with the injustices of poverty, the inequities of the world, the stark realities of life and death. The prose is sharp and clinical, yet there’s a heart beating through it all the way along, a hope that warmth and fairness might rise above the setting and the situation no matter how farfetched that seems at times. It does get tough – gruelling material at which the writer shows his class instead of flinching away.
By year’s end, this book is going to shine out as one of my favourites. There’s no doubt about it.
Very highly recommended.
Ishmael’s just out of prison. He’s a killer who suddenly tired of killing. Whilst watching his back in the cells, he discovered a new freedom in the form of gardening, a new connection with the earth and the way things might be. He’s hard, poor and covered in tattoos.
His rehabilitation is to be encouraged by work – a job in the garden of a rich, white man in the luxurious settings of a mightily secure house where only the help has colour to their skin.
There’s a snake in the garden, mind. Family life is not all it should be. Ishmael knows that what’s happening is wrong, but he also knows that trying to help will get him in to no end of trouble. It’s a question of whether the old or the new Ishmael is going to show up and I’m not going to tell you how it shapes up.
It’s a fantastic piece of fiction which deals with the injustices of poverty, the inequities of the world, the stark realities of life and death. The prose is sharp and clinical, yet there’s a heart beating through it all the way along, a hope that warmth and fairness might rise above the setting and the situation no matter how farfetched that seems at times. It does get tough – gruelling material at which the writer shows his class instead of flinching away.
By year’s end, this book is going to shine out as one of my favourites. There’s no doubt about it.
Very highly recommended.
February 13, 2022
This was good. Ishmael is a man who does not shape up as a hero or even as anyone you could remotely identify with. He is bad and he is extremely unattractive. Yet somewhere inside there is a little bit of humanity. Just enough for the reader to take a bit of time getting to know him better. Like a dog coming back for more because this man is the only living thing that tolerates him. I grew to empathise with him (I nearly said "like him" ).
But it is a sad tale, really. A good read and a very well written narrative. I recommend it most highly.
But it is a sad tale, really. A good read and a very well written narrative. I recommend it most highly.
February 28, 2016
This novella shows you the hard reality of life on the Cape Flats for so many people who have become prisoners of their birth circumstances. Ishmael is a hard core ex-convict, murderer and rapist. But if there is redemption, he will certainly get it for what he does for little Cindy, a white girl being abused by her father. This is the first time I read one of Roger Smith's books and I definitely am going to read more of this writer.
March 24, 2012
That was an excellent read and profoundly sad. Smith's book reads like a South African Andrew Vachss. I am so happy that Amazon is revitalizing the novella, because this is definitely worth the time.
June 23, 2014
Despite the disturbing basis of the story, it's very very good. I had a difficult time putting it down. Ishmael will stay with you well after you're done reading.
February 25, 2020
What a character. Ishmael Toffee is not your normal hero-protagonist. He is scummy and downtrodden and brutal. Yet there is a soft centre to him that makes him appealing. So it is easy to follow the adventures of this crazed man.
I loved the action-based no-nonsense approach of the author. This is exciting writing and it reflects a very dislocated world, dark and dangerous, and it is like breathing evil crime as one turns the pages. Very exciting to read. I finished it in one night.
I loved the action-based no-nonsense approach of the author. This is exciting writing and it reflects a very dislocated world, dark and dangerous, and it is like breathing evil crime as one turns the pages. Very exciting to read. I finished it in one night.
January 13, 2020
Very good thriller. Punchy and violent and raw but always believable. I like the fact that the central character is so reprehensible in many ways but is ultimately a softy inside. The branch grown crooked might have been something else if history had offered him something more. I like this author's approach. Exciting and real.
September 23, 2020
Great book. Ishmael is a fascinating character. The sordid context in which he lives prepares one for a dismal experience but somehow the light shines through this man - only just - and one wants him to survive and continue. A well-written and insightful look at humanity surviving amidst degradation.
May 24, 2020
Very good thriller. Ishmael is a gruesome character when you meet him but the author takes you on a journey and shows you that through the grime and the decadence and the desolation there is a glimmer of hope in the human spirit. A really uplifting story, to tell the truth. Very well written.
January 17, 2024
Fascinating book. And the main character, too. This is very compelling: rough and raw and bleak as the red dust of the desert. Yet strangely compassionate. Very intriguing. I need to read more of this author.
February 24, 2018
A short story encompassing all the usual Roger Smith elements - the rough and tumble life in the Cape Flats. A little predictable but still, Smith’s feel for the belly of the beast is unsurpassed
March 18, 2021
This was very good. Very exciting and very violent but also very humane and gentle in parts. Good writing.
March 19, 2021
This story is crazy starting off the dialogue. It's a true redemption adventure though ghetto style righteousness.
July 6, 2022
Very good. Incredible character. You hate him but then there's something uplifting, too. Struggles of a hopeless man in a hopeless country....
February 9, 2017
This is an awesome story. The ending was very powerful. I can't say more without giving it away. I highly recommend this book.
July 23, 2012
Ishmael Toffee is not a nice man. In fact, he’s about as evil as they come. “From when he was old enough to hold a knife, he’d stuck people dead.” It’s a skill, a calling even, that landed him in prison, and kept him there for 21 years as he continued to serve as an assassin for gangs even while on the inside. Except once day he just couldn’t do it anymore. No deep revelation. No spiritual rebirth. He just ran out of steam for killing. Reached his limit. Not wanting him to become a victim himself the warden isolates Ishmael, putting him to work in the prison gardens, a place where much to his surprise Ishmael finds he has another natural calling.
When the day comes he’s deemed rehabilitated and is released, Ishmael gets a job doing the only thing he legally knows how to do, working the land. It’s a good job that he finds, tending to the grounds of a wealthy Cape Town attorney’s estate, and Ishmael has every intention of keeping his head down, going about his business, and living out his remaining years in peace and obscurity. Almost immediately it becomes clear that’s not going to happen, as the attorney’s 6 year-old daughter takes a liking to Ishmael despite his weathered dark skin and maze of prison ink. Determined to strike up a friendship, she brings Ishmael cold drinks while he’s working and gives him learn-to-read books to take home. She also begins confiding in him, eventually revealing through play acting with her dolls that her father is raping her. And now Ishmael must decide: has he truly put his dark days behind him for the sake of peace and non-confrontation at all costs, or does he still have it in him to do whatever it takes to deliver the young girl from the kind of evil he once knew so well?
Roger Smith is unquestionably one of the most bold, powerful authors currently writing fiction. Period. The man’s ability to seamlessly meld story with social commentary is without equal, as he sets forth in stark, striking detail the horrific conditions in which poor, black South Africans live in the Cape Flats, just a stone’s throw from the obscene wealth that is found in the Cape Town suburbs. It is with both sadness and irony that Smith paints a vivid picture of people free from apartheid, yet still slaves to poverty, disease (HIV/TB), and crime. It’s a truly Darwinian environment, one in which the residents are all too willing to turn on each other for any advantage.
And it’s an environment that makes Ishmael’s struggle to do the right thing a thousand times more difficult, as his fellow residents of the infamous Tin Town section of the Cape Flats don’t care about the well being of the little white girl Ishmael is trying to protect; they just want the reward money associated with her return. And at every step of the way Ishmael questions not only if he’s doing the right thing, but whether he should even care. It’s one thing to no longer want to actively do evil, but how far does one really need to pro-actively stick out their neck to help someone else, especially when doing so is at best going to result in going back to prison and at worst get you killed?
It’s a question the answer to which is not as straightforward as it may seem, especially to a man like Ishmael Toffee who has no illusions about either his past or future and who has no desire to be a hero. He’s simply a man who wants to be at peace with himself. Roger Smith gives Ishmael a heartbreakingly difficult path to walk as he strives to find that peace, and challenges readers to walk that path with Ishmael Toffee in this hard-hitting, gut punch of a novella.
When the day comes he’s deemed rehabilitated and is released, Ishmael gets a job doing the only thing he legally knows how to do, working the land. It’s a good job that he finds, tending to the grounds of a wealthy Cape Town attorney’s estate, and Ishmael has every intention of keeping his head down, going about his business, and living out his remaining years in peace and obscurity. Almost immediately it becomes clear that’s not going to happen, as the attorney’s 6 year-old daughter takes a liking to Ishmael despite his weathered dark skin and maze of prison ink. Determined to strike up a friendship, she brings Ishmael cold drinks while he’s working and gives him learn-to-read books to take home. She also begins confiding in him, eventually revealing through play acting with her dolls that her father is raping her. And now Ishmael must decide: has he truly put his dark days behind him for the sake of peace and non-confrontation at all costs, or does he still have it in him to do whatever it takes to deliver the young girl from the kind of evil he once knew so well?
Roger Smith is unquestionably one of the most bold, powerful authors currently writing fiction. Period. The man’s ability to seamlessly meld story with social commentary is without equal, as he sets forth in stark, striking detail the horrific conditions in which poor, black South Africans live in the Cape Flats, just a stone’s throw from the obscene wealth that is found in the Cape Town suburbs. It is with both sadness and irony that Smith paints a vivid picture of people free from apartheid, yet still slaves to poverty, disease (HIV/TB), and crime. It’s a truly Darwinian environment, one in which the residents are all too willing to turn on each other for any advantage.
And it’s an environment that makes Ishmael’s struggle to do the right thing a thousand times more difficult, as his fellow residents of the infamous Tin Town section of the Cape Flats don’t care about the well being of the little white girl Ishmael is trying to protect; they just want the reward money associated with her return. And at every step of the way Ishmael questions not only if he’s doing the right thing, but whether he should even care. It’s one thing to no longer want to actively do evil, but how far does one really need to pro-actively stick out their neck to help someone else, especially when doing so is at best going to result in going back to prison and at worst get you killed?
It’s a question the answer to which is not as straightforward as it may seem, especially to a man like Ishmael Toffee who has no illusions about either his past or future and who has no desire to be a hero. He’s simply a man who wants to be at peace with himself. Roger Smith gives Ishmael a heartbreakingly difficult path to walk as he strives to find that peace, and challenges readers to walk that path with Ishmael Toffee in this hard-hitting, gut punch of a novella.
March 10, 2012
Ishmael Toffee, out of prison and apparently rehabilitated after losing his taste for blood on the inside, is given the chance to follow his new found passion for gardening by working for lawyer John Goddard. All is not well in the Goodard house, though, and Ishmael is soon caught up in the plight of Goddards' six-year-old daughter, Cindy. Cindy is being sexually abused by her Father, her Mother committed suicide after finding out and the Goddards' maid is using the knowledge to blackmail Goddard. Ishmael reluctantly befriends Cindy and quickly ends up being her only hope for survival.
This novella was astonishing. Roger Smith really draws you in with his portrayal of a very, very bad man trying to go straight. Ishmael doesn't know how many people, men or women, he has killed as a street gang assasin, isn't sure whether he should help Cindy or stay away from trouble and is so vividly brought to life that he will have you rooting for him, not matter what, by the end of the book. An old and familiar storyline is given fresh life aided by believable, real characters and Smith drops you into his Cape Town settings so hard that you feel battered and bruised by the end. Vivid, brutal and heartbreaking, Ishmael Toffee will stay with me for a very, very long time. Outstanding
This novella was astonishing. Roger Smith really draws you in with his portrayal of a very, very bad man trying to go straight. Ishmael doesn't know how many people, men or women, he has killed as a street gang assasin, isn't sure whether he should help Cindy or stay away from trouble and is so vividly brought to life that he will have you rooting for him, not matter what, by the end of the book. An old and familiar storyline is given fresh life aided by believable, real characters and Smith drops you into his Cape Town settings so hard that you feel battered and bruised by the end. Vivid, brutal and heartbreaking, Ishmael Toffee will stay with me for a very, very long time. Outstanding
January 31, 2013
Mehr als die Hälfte seines 45-jährigen Lebens hat der Farbige Ishmael Toffee im Pollsmoor Prison verbracht. Die Zeichen seiner Gangzugehörigkeit sind auf seinen Körper geschrieben. Die Menschen, die er getötet hat, hat er irgendwann aufgehört zu zählen. Jetzt ist er in Freiheit, hat eine Blechhütte in Tin Town und im Zuge eines Rehabilitierungsprogramms einen Job als Gärtner in einem hochherrschaftlichen Anwesen.
Doch warum sollte es in einem reichen, weißen Vorort anders zugehen als in den Cape Flats? Der Vater missbraucht seine sechsjährige Tochter sexuell. Die Mutter nahm sich, als sie dies herausfand, das Leben. Und Cindy entscheidet sich dafür, dass die Person, der sie ihr Leid anvertrauen kann, Ishmael sein wird.
Diese Novella ist Noir. In einer Welt, die nicht richtig ist, versuchen die, die nicht wollen und können, das Richtige zu tun. Der Stil spiegelt das wider, trifft das Idiom von Ismael Toffee punktgenau, auf Artikel wird meistens verzichtet. Im Anschluss folgt die Kurzgeschichte Falling, ebenso pessimistisch und kompromisslos geht es darin um Porno und tik.
Doch warum sollte es in einem reichen, weißen Vorort anders zugehen als in den Cape Flats? Der Vater missbraucht seine sechsjährige Tochter sexuell. Die Mutter nahm sich, als sie dies herausfand, das Leben. Und Cindy entscheidet sich dafür, dass die Person, der sie ihr Leid anvertrauen kann, Ishmael sein wird.
Diese Novella ist Noir. In einer Welt, die nicht richtig ist, versuchen die, die nicht wollen und können, das Richtige zu tun. Der Stil spiegelt das wider, trifft das Idiom von Ismael Toffee punktgenau, auf Artikel wird meistens verzichtet. Im Anschluss folgt die Kurzgeschichte Falling, ebenso pessimistisch und kompromisslos geht es darin um Porno und tik.
June 14, 2023
Every now and then I come across a book that grips me with stark broad-stroke characterisation or blood-curdling action that are the terrain of the thriller genre. In this case I was captivated early on by the fascinating character of Ishmael. A down-in-the-gutter violent gangster of sorts, hating the world and wreaking havoc upon it. Doubtless because of a sordid upbringing. I was prepared to follow this man's adventures to see what kind of trouble he got himself into, and what kind of conflict might determine his future.
What a surprise. This man is, deep down - very far down, in fact - a very human bunch of contradictory impulses. The man who could have become a likeable human to other humans is indeed sordid and barbaric, but struggling to break out of this is a kind soul and a man who can't engage with humans but can, certainly, with animals.
The man who could have been lurks behind the man who is, constantly keeping the reader in thrall. I liked this book very much indeed.
What a surprise. This man is, deep down - very far down, in fact - a very human bunch of contradictory impulses. The man who could have become a likeable human to other humans is indeed sordid and barbaric, but struggling to break out of this is a kind soul and a man who can't engage with humans but can, certainly, with animals.
The man who could have been lurks behind the man who is, constantly keeping the reader in thrall. I liked this book very much indeed.
April 1, 2012
I feel bad just giving the book two stars since I bought it because all the reviews on Amazon raved about it.
I always feel weird going counter to the raves because I feel as if I were the deficient one, i.e. maybe I just didn't get it and the novella is actually genius...
It was certainly an interesting concept, set in a location (South Africa) that I'd never read about and had no clue of, but something about it left me dancing on the fence between a Two and Three star rating... Maybe it was the narrative voice, or the structure, or the (sometimes) excessive descriptions (i.e. Leaves poured out like cake batter, etc).
Without giving away any spoilers, the narrative voice of Cindy was much more interesting in my view and I almost wish the entire tale had been told solely from her point of view.
It's a ok book...
I always feel weird going counter to the raves because I feel as if I were the deficient one, i.e. maybe I just didn't get it and the novella is actually genius...
It was certainly an interesting concept, set in a location (South Africa) that I'd never read about and had no clue of, but something about it left me dancing on the fence between a Two and Three star rating... Maybe it was the narrative voice, or the structure, or the (sometimes) excessive descriptions (i.e. Leaves poured out like cake batter, etc).
Without giving away any spoilers, the narrative voice of Cindy was much more interesting in my view and I almost wish the entire tale had been told solely from her point of view.
It's a ok book...
May 31, 2012
Roger Smith is a genius!! This is the second book I've read by him and it didn't disappoint. Ishmael Toffee is a novella, so it's a quick read, set in the slums of Cape Town. From his opening paragraph I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until I finished it. Solid writing and a clean flow made it easy for my eyes to dart across the page in my rush to find out what would happen next.
I'm not a fan of spoilers so all I'll say is Ishmael Toffee is not a good man. He's killed plenty. Cue Cindy, a troubled little rich girl, and things get a bit more complicated for this felon.
You won't be able to help but cheer for Ishmael in the hopes he'll do the right thing. But can a convict as brutal as him help anybody but himself? The truth ... You need to read this book and find out!!
Roger Smith has a new die-hard fan!!!
I'm not a fan of spoilers so all I'll say is Ishmael Toffee is not a good man. He's killed plenty. Cue Cindy, a troubled little rich girl, and things get a bit more complicated for this felon.
You won't be able to help but cheer for Ishmael in the hopes he'll do the right thing. But can a convict as brutal as him help anybody but himself? The truth ... You need to read this book and find out!!
Roger Smith has a new die-hard fan!!!
February 17, 2013
I was very impressed with this book. The description and the action kept me going through the whole book and, before I knew it, I realized I'd been sitting there for quite some time and had finished the story. What a despicable father, but what a great man Ishmael was, no matter what he had done in the past, for not only standing up for this child, a stranger, but for protecting her at all costs. My only problem - I wish it had gone longer because I want to know what happened to the daughter and if this all came out after the end.
I do have to say that I started to read the short story that is at the end of the Kindle edition and couldn't get past the first chapter. How sad that someone could write a novella as good as this and then start a short story off in such a disgusting way. Not my kind of book at all.
I do have to say that I started to read the short story that is at the end of the Kindle edition and couldn't get past the first chapter. How sad that someone could write a novella as good as this and then start a short story off in such a disgusting way. Not my kind of book at all.
November 14, 2024
There are good authors and then there are great authors. Good authors can write volumes. Great authors can tell you volumes with very few words. Roger Smith is a great author and I would highly recommend any of his books.
How many chapters would it take to tell the terrors a young girl is feeling when being abused after the death of her mother? How many paragraphs to make you feel her innocent view of life? Roger Smith does this with four words in Ishmael Toffee and it is a classic example of how a great author can use words.
Ishmael Toffee or "Dust Devils" would both be a good start, but be aware that after reading either one you will be looking for more from Roger Smith.
How many chapters would it take to tell the terrors a young girl is feeling when being abused after the death of her mother? How many paragraphs to make you feel her innocent view of life? Roger Smith does this with four words in Ishmael Toffee and it is a classic example of how a great author can use words.
Ishmael Toffee or "Dust Devils" would both be a good start, but be aware that after reading either one you will be looking for more from Roger Smith.
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