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Of Beasts and Beings
Militia seize an innocent captive and subject him to a nightmarish overland journey that feels as though it will never end. Meanwhile, a lonely white schoolteacher wrestles personal demons whilst attempting to overcome the everyday difficulties of a life in which power cuts last for months at a time, homes are left without running water, brawls break out over even the most basic necessities and an atmosphere of fear and intimidation presides. Which of them is in the gravest danger, and does either have the power to escape their fate?
In this highly original, searing and timely new novel, we witness the devastating effects of a country's economic and moral collapse. In a world where greed, barbarism, anarchy and lawlessness are rife, how do the honest survive? Is it possible to keep a conscience when all those around you have lost theirs?
In this highly original, searing and timely new novel, we witness the devastating effects of a country's economic and moral collapse. In a world where greed, barbarism, anarchy and lawlessness are rife, how do the honest survive? Is it possible to keep a conscience when all those around you have lost theirs?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2010
4 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Ian Holding
5 books13 followersIan Holding was born in 1978 in Harare, Zimbabwe and has lived there all his life. His critically acclaimed first novel, "Unfeeling" was published in 2005, and was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. In 2009 he was a Hawthornden Fellow. His new book, "Of Beasts & Beings" will be published in August 2010. His passions include classical music and sport.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 15, 2020
This was a very dark and sad story. Powerful. This post- apocalyptic tale explores the tragedy and brutality of a war torn area, enslavement and the value on human life. After reading about the characters' horrific journey, Ian Holding's book definitely affects the reader, emotionally.
April 29, 2017
Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review.
Both riveting and horrifying.
And the ending ... I did not see THAT coming.
Mind blown!
Both riveting and horrifying.
And the ending ... I did not see THAT coming.
Mind blown!
May 17, 2013
The ending is what makes this book. It definitely makes you internalize what you're reading and serves to make a bigger point than what's directly in front of you.
May 21, 2025
Tedious. Am I, the worst person on earth, the problem?
“All that toil and only this meagre smattering of distance to show for it.”
Grueling repetition. Don’t hate the ending, but it absolutely does not justify the preceding 200 pages spent alternating between the worst person on earth and an unfathomably dull postapocalypse travel log. If this has anything of McCarthy (and personally I think we’re getting a little liberal with those comparisons), it is the dead world of “The Road,” with even less to compel the reader’s interest. Intentional or otherwise, the point might’ve been made in half the page count.
“All that toil and only this meagre smattering of distance to show for it.”
Grueling repetition. Don’t hate the ending, but it absolutely does not justify the preceding 200 pages spent alternating between the worst person on earth and an unfathomably dull postapocalypse travel log. If this has anything of McCarthy (and personally I think we’re getting a little liberal with those comparisons), it is the dead world of “The Road,” with even less to compel the reader’s interest. Intentional or otherwise, the point might’ve been made in half the page count.
August 3, 2025
Very promising and interesting first part. In it the author describes a man who, in a country devastated by wars, has become a slave. The slow progress of the story with the detailed description of the man's sufferings and of his tormentors is compelling and utterly interesting. Unfortunately the second part has little to do with the first part and instead of closing the circle it leaves the reader disappointed and empty-handed. A real pity because in my opinion Ian Holding is a talented writer who knows how to tell a story.
August 25, 2021
This book is brutal. I think the surprise ending is not such a surprise after all...at a certain point in reading, you realize that's really the only way the narratives could come together. This American enjoyed some of the interesting vocabulary.
January 17, 2022
Ian Holding's books are not a pleasant read but brutally honest. I am sure anyone who has lived in Africa could recognise some reality in this story.
August 28, 2011
Having found Holding's "Unfeeling" to be incredibly memorable I was suitably excited about reading his most recent work, and in many ways I wasn't to be disappointed. As with "Unfeeling" this novel packs a powerful punch - it just takes a bit of work to get there.
Others have commented on the detached and alienating nature of the streaming narrative of the nameless captive we are introduced to in the opening pages. At times the relentless description of the Zimbabwean landscape in the aftermath and midst of genocide becomes almost unbearable; not necessarily because it is too harrowing, but because of our relationship (or lack of) with the narrator.
Running parallel to this is the much more accessible first person journal of a young white teacher preparing to leave his Zimbabwe - a place about which he has deep internal conflicting feelings. First and foremost it is his home, but he struggles to accept his place in it under Mugabe's regime and faces an uncertain future.
It is only in the final third of the book that the reader really begins to realise and understand what Holding is doing with his narrative. And ultimately it's pretty clever and impactful. It's difficult to say too much without spoilers, but as gruelling as the journey may be, it is well worth the perseverance.
A novel about status, power, atonement and redemption, but also the political art of writing and how this can be used as a tool to express a sense of social conscientiousness.
An interesting read.
Others have commented on the detached and alienating nature of the streaming narrative of the nameless captive we are introduced to in the opening pages. At times the relentless description of the Zimbabwean landscape in the aftermath and midst of genocide becomes almost unbearable; not necessarily because it is too harrowing, but because of our relationship (or lack of) with the narrator.
Running parallel to this is the much more accessible first person journal of a young white teacher preparing to leave his Zimbabwe - a place about which he has deep internal conflicting feelings. First and foremost it is his home, but he struggles to accept his place in it under Mugabe's regime and faces an uncertain future.
It is only in the final third of the book that the reader really begins to realise and understand what Holding is doing with his narrative. And ultimately it's pretty clever and impactful. It's difficult to say too much without spoilers, but as gruelling as the journey may be, it is well worth the perseverance.
A novel about status, power, atonement and redemption, but also the political art of writing and how this can be used as a tool to express a sense of social conscientiousness.
An interesting read.
February 11, 2017
Of Beasts & Beings, first and foremost, is split into two parts which are sort of connected. Of those two parts, I have two different feelings for, which I'll go into below with little to no spoilers.
The first part which takes up most of the book is in the third person, following a nameless black protagonist who had been taken into slavery by roving gangs. In our primal desire for independence and freedom we feel for him and no one else. His arc is satisfactory, even though it had little if any character growth, which is fine in some cases, and more than fine in this case, since this is more of just being an observer to a plight - and there, we feel for him, we vouch and support him, feel his pain and his relief.
The second part which takes up two parts of the book, middle and end, are in the first person, journal entries by the author or some such. 'White guilt'. Whining. Being an arse to his servants and everyone around him. A very quick attempt of humanization at the end with the inspiration for the book. These parts are incredibly annoying and come off as a cheap and really not needed; there is no real connection to the story itself, at least in my view.
For the first part, which takes up most of the book, following the black protagonist and his plight, I recommend. The whining authors' part? Not so much.
The first part which takes up most of the book is in the third person, following a nameless black protagonist who had been taken into slavery by roving gangs. In our primal desire for independence and freedom we feel for him and no one else. His arc is satisfactory, even though it had little if any character growth, which is fine in some cases, and more than fine in this case, since this is more of just being an observer to a plight - and there, we feel for him, we vouch and support him, feel his pain and his relief.
The second part which takes up two parts of the book, middle and end, are in the first person, journal entries by the author or some such. 'White guilt'. Whining. Being an arse to his servants and everyone around him. A very quick attempt of humanization at the end with the inspiration for the book. These parts are incredibly annoying and come off as a cheap and really not needed; there is no real connection to the story itself, at least in my view.
For the first part, which takes up most of the book, following the black protagonist and his plight, I recommend. The whining authors' part? Not so much.
April 2, 2012
A two part story- the first, of a nameless white man who is caught and lassoed while scavenging for food after some sort of civil war which has laid waste to an unknown allegorical place in Africa (probably Holding's native Zimbabwe). He is led by a rope by two boys, a man, and he carries- via a harness- a very pregnant woman (a reversal of the colonial encounter). The other story- the notes of Ian, a white school teacher in Zimbabwe, suffering as the country unravels, preparing to go to South Africa, having given up on Zimbabwe (as his family had done many years earlier). The end of the novel pulls the two stories together in a way that is interesting and telling of the struggles that continue to plague post-colonial sub-saharan African countries.
July 8, 2013
A thought-provoking read. I always think people must write because they have something to say, but I'm not sure if that's really the case. Maybe all writers say sometimes is that this is how they see the world. This is how things are. This is how we treat one another. There's how you feel and how they feel. And that's all. Things just are as they are.
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November 16, 2011KOBOBOOKS
Reviewed by The Independent
Reviewed by The Independent
May 6, 2011
Rarely do I not get through a book, but this was just not one I could get through. It was extremely monotonous and I could not connect with the characters at all. I was really wanting to like this book too.
April 4, 2014
A unique and wonderful book. In trying times how do we reconcile the difference between who we have been and who we wish we have been. Interesting perspectives and narration as this author attempts to find penance toward and empathy with his countrymen.
March 1, 2011
harrowing.
December 10, 2011
Beautiful writing, but I put the book down halfway. Sadly, there is too much horror and not enough character and plot development in this novel about the anarchy and human cruelty in modern Zimbabwe.
June 9, 2014
An ending that leaves you stunned. I will be thinking about that for a long time to come.
April 10, 2011
Beautifully written, but the detached storytelling made it difficult to feel involved in the plot.
April 30, 2017
I just wont a copy in a GOODREADS giveaway - Of Beasts and Beings by Ian Holding - however, I had already read it; the giveaway just prompted me to put my rating on it! Very bland first part that is more commentary and documentary style... but stick to it like it was a required reading book in LIT class because the reading experience will become profound. It is a window into someplace we all need to be exposed to; whether you take anything away from it is entirely up to you.
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November 16, 2017can't find where i kept this book
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews