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North Facing
A novel of awakening and atonement, this exquisitely realised story revisits a seminal boyhood moment as it plays out — with unexpected and sinister consequences — against the backdrop of political upheaval in South Africa.
For one long, intense week in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought with it an East-West stand-off and the possibility of nuclear holocaust. On the other side of the globe, in Pretoria, a group of schoolboys scan the horizon for signs that the world is about to end.
There is political tension here too, and the power struggles and cruelties of the boys mirror the corruption of a deeply divided country. Paul Harvey – sensitive, isolated, and desperate to fit in at school despite his English heritage – will do whatever is needed to please the class ringleader, Andre du Toit.
Now in his sixties and living abroad, Paul is drawn back to South Africa to confront the unexpected and chilling consequences of this seminal boyhood moment – and the part he unwittingly played in the drama that unfolded.
For one long, intense week in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought with it an East-West stand-off and the possibility of nuclear holocaust. On the other side of the globe, in Pretoria, a group of schoolboys scan the horizon for signs that the world is about to end.
There is political tension here too, and the power struggles and cruelties of the boys mirror the corruption of a deeply divided country. Paul Harvey – sensitive, isolated, and desperate to fit in at school despite his English heritage – will do whatever is needed to please the class ringleader, Andre du Toit.
Now in his sixties and living abroad, Paul is drawn back to South Africa to confront the unexpected and chilling consequences of this seminal boyhood moment – and the part he unwittingly played in the drama that unfolded.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 30, 2017
North Facing' by Tony Peake
Tony Peake is a South African author who has lived in the UK for many years. ’North Facing’ is his third novel, and if you are interested in South Africa, its past history and what it is like now - this is a must-read.
Set mainly in Pretoria, the story moves between St Luke’s, a private boarding school for boys in 1962, and the present time.
Mandela has been arrested as a result of a CIA tip of which has set off chain of events leading him to become internationally known; and on the other side of the world, the Cuban Missile crisis is unfolding. Could there be a nuclear holocaust? There is also the underlying tension of the politics of apartheid.
The boys at St Luke’s realise from the the attitudes of teaching staff and their parents that something extremely serious – dangerous even – is going on but do not really understand what it entails which gives the book an edgy tension which builds as the story unfolds.
The author shows how a child, in fact children in general, don’t see the full picture of what is happening in the world. They live and experience their own smaller universes, and it is only with the hindsight of adulthood that they can make sense of how people behaved and why.
The protagonist, Paul Harvey, born in South Africa, is the only child of English parents. He is an intelligent rather quiet lad who has an extremely close relationship with his mother. She is ambivalent about living in South Africa, and conveys that feeling to her son.
At school most children want to be recognised by, and included in, what is seen as the dominant peer group – and Paul is no exception. An Afrikaner farmer’s son, Andre du Toit is a bullying boy who rules his little gang with a psychological rod of iron, and the members of the group are all desperate for his approbation. Eventually the beam of du Toit’s favour shines upon Paul and he joins the club. This leads to a series of events which he doesn’t quite understand, but which have devastating consequences for some of the teachers and staff at the school.
The latter part of the book is when Paul, now in late middle-age – returns to South Africa and goes on a private quest to right the wrongs he thinks he unwittingly did when a schoolboy. having carried an uneasy burden of guilt for many years.
I loved the characters of both Paul the boy and Paul the man, they were very real to me. Of course it helped that I too went to a single-sex boarding school in South Africa in the 1960s (although not a boy!) and I could relate to the circumstances, the school life, the slang the boys used, the casual, ignorant, attitude of white children to black adults and why they were kept living separately.
‘North Facing’ is a great addition to the canon of South African literature which depicts those cruel, difficult, yet exhilarating times in a country that was mostly cut off from the world at large.
I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Tony Peake is a South African author who has lived in the UK for many years. ’North Facing’ is his third novel, and if you are interested in South Africa, its past history and what it is like now - this is a must-read.
Set mainly in Pretoria, the story moves between St Luke’s, a private boarding school for boys in 1962, and the present time.
Mandela has been arrested as a result of a CIA tip of which has set off chain of events leading him to become internationally known; and on the other side of the world, the Cuban Missile crisis is unfolding. Could there be a nuclear holocaust? There is also the underlying tension of the politics of apartheid.
The boys at St Luke’s realise from the the attitudes of teaching staff and their parents that something extremely serious – dangerous even – is going on but do not really understand what it entails which gives the book an edgy tension which builds as the story unfolds.
The author shows how a child, in fact children in general, don’t see the full picture of what is happening in the world. They live and experience their own smaller universes, and it is only with the hindsight of adulthood that they can make sense of how people behaved and why.
The protagonist, Paul Harvey, born in South Africa, is the only child of English parents. He is an intelligent rather quiet lad who has an extremely close relationship with his mother. She is ambivalent about living in South Africa, and conveys that feeling to her son.
At school most children want to be recognised by, and included in, what is seen as the dominant peer group – and Paul is no exception. An Afrikaner farmer’s son, Andre du Toit is a bullying boy who rules his little gang with a psychological rod of iron, and the members of the group are all desperate for his approbation. Eventually the beam of du Toit’s favour shines upon Paul and he joins the club. This leads to a series of events which he doesn’t quite understand, but which have devastating consequences for some of the teachers and staff at the school.
The latter part of the book is when Paul, now in late middle-age – returns to South Africa and goes on a private quest to right the wrongs he thinks he unwittingly did when a schoolboy. having carried an uneasy burden of guilt for many years.
I loved the characters of both Paul the boy and Paul the man, they were very real to me. Of course it helped that I too went to a single-sex boarding school in South Africa in the 1960s (although not a boy!) and I could relate to the circumstances, the school life, the slang the boys used, the casual, ignorant, attitude of white children to black adults and why they were kept living separately.
‘North Facing’ is a great addition to the canon of South African literature which depicts those cruel, difficult, yet exhilarating times in a country that was mostly cut off from the world at large.
I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
December 7, 2017
This is a touching, fascinating novel exploring a teenage boy's gradual comprehension of the reality of racism and politics in South Africa in the 1960s. The novel charts a pivotal moment in Paul's life as he attempts to ingratiate himself into the bully's secret club. The dares Paul has to execute unwittingly expose a clandestine relationship between the black gardener and the liberal General Knowledge teacher, but Paul realizes this far too late. Switching between the teenage Paul, and the adult revisiting his past to make atonement, Tony Peake draws you into a boys' boarding school environment with vivid description. He does an excellent job of re-creating the angst and awkwardness of many a teenager, as well as the complex motivations and social hierarchies of adolescence. Layered on top of this is a sensitive and subtle treatment of social injustice and atonement. A gentle-paced, thought-provoking read, with every word well-placed.
April 5, 2021
Not bad, but I was expecting more.
Paul, and the rest of the characters, were decently written, and the writing was fine, but the themes were never fully developed. It felt like the story was being told by someone who was out of touch with what Apartheid South Africa really meant. Perhaps this was the point, and I've just missed it? Paul was a high school student while in South Africa, and then moved back to England, so did lose touch with SA. But even so there was a real lack of feeling from everyone, including du Toit, Paul's parents, and even Paul even after his becoming aware of what his actions had led to. I believe that the Apartheid government did a good job of confuscating the realities of their rule from a White population who didn't really want to know what their unearned privilege entailed for the oppressed majority. But it still felt like this was a story told from the other side of a mozzie screen door.
Considering how impactful other South African Apartheid literature is, this felt a bit flat.
Paul, and the rest of the characters, were decently written, and the writing was fine, but the themes were never fully developed. It felt like the story was being told by someone who was out of touch with what Apartheid South Africa really meant. Perhaps this was the point, and I've just missed it? Paul was a high school student while in South Africa, and then moved back to England, so did lose touch with SA. But even so there was a real lack of feeling from everyone, including du Toit, Paul's parents, and even Paul even after his becoming aware of what his actions had led to. I believe that the Apartheid government did a good job of confuscating the realities of their rule from a White population who didn't really want to know what their unearned privilege entailed for the oppressed majority. But it still felt like this was a story told from the other side of a mozzie screen door.
Considering how impactful other South African Apartheid literature is, this felt a bit flat.
May 25, 2019
Tony Peake packs a lot into a relatively short novel (193 pages), he gives you much to think about by taking two points in history for an individual, their school days and early adolescence when "everything" is confusing anyway and layers over both societies changes and world events. I enjoyed a lot of the book and thought it resolved things well in terms of progress in South Africa and global acceptance of difference.
October 5, 2018
A story of childhood betrayal and adult regret which subtly evokes the political climate of South Africa under apartheid. Superbly written, sensitive but never sentimental, courageous and ethical, it is hugely satisfying. One of the best books I've ever read about South Africa. Highly recommended.
Review by Joy Martin
Review by Joy Martin
January 15, 2025
Buen libro. Al principio me costo engancharme con los personajes y el cambio de perspectiva del narrador. A partir del capitulo 4 se hace mas dinamico.
Me sirvio para conocer algo de la historia de Sudáfrica, aunque prácticamente no tocan el tema del apartheid.
Recomendable
Me sirvio para conocer algo de la historia de Sudáfrica, aunque prácticamente no tocan el tema del apartheid.
Recomendable
March 10, 2018
A captivating, beautifully concise novel about responsibility and regret, set in the South Africa of 1962 and the present day. A little gem.
July 13, 2021
7.5/10 the author captured the hot veldt of 1960's apartheid South Africa which chimes in how oppressive a boy's boarding school can be when you are an outsider.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews