At the Edge of the Desert

by Basil Lawrence

In the Namibian harbour town of Lüderitz, a liminal space where desert meets ocean, a terrible history is made intimate and personal when filmmaker Henry van Wyk must confront a childhood tragedy that has moulded his life.
Having returned to his birthplace in an attempt to get his career back on track, Henry struggles to complete a documentary he is working on. He whiles away his mornings swimming in a nearby tidal pool on Shark Island, and finds himself increasingly drawn to the small town and its romantic possibilities.
But the tranquil land hides a bloody history: Shark Island was once the site of a concentration camp, and a law firm is suing the German government for their role in the genocide of Namibia’s indigenous people.
When Henry begins to interview the survivors’ descendants, their testimonies compel him to search the desert for a mass grave.
At the Edge of the Desert is a meditation on loss, isolation and love, which asks us to consider the implications of telling someone else’s story.

232 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Basil Lawrence is the author of the novels Henry First and At the Edge of the Desert, and has co-edited two story collections for The Mechanics' Institute Review. Henry First won the Red City Review grand prize, and his play Modern Eating Habits won the Amstel Playwright of the Year Award. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Lesley Thomson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book all a bit confusing and wondered what it was meant to be about - there was so little of the history of the treatment of the indigenous people and how they were treated by the Germans, which is what the 'blub' on the back said. The descriptions of Namibia, the vastness and the scenery were excellent - but were all the characters made to be so wacky to hold interest in the book? Explicit sex was not necessary in this narrative.

[Anschen Conradie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#attheedgeofthedesert - Basil Lawrence
#penguinrandomhousesa

Filmmaker Hermanus (Henry) van Wyk returns to his childhood home, Lüderitz, the Namibian harbour town, where the desert meets the ocean, to complete the editing on a documentary that he hopes will boost his struggling career. He is battling, both financially and emotionally, but the reason for the latter is gradually revealed to the reader.

In his efforts to generate income, he is introduced to a very eccentric Brit, Will, and his wife Amanda. Will dreams of building a Utopia called Harmony; an off the grid settlement that is anti-civilization; anti-capitalism and anti-government; where the residents will love working so much that they would never want to sleep. But he needs investors, so Henry is tasked with the filming of this pipe dream.

Henry’s cousin, Chesley, works for a law firm that is suing the German government for the genocide of Namibia’s indigenous people, especially the Herero, and Henry is volunteers to interview and film the descendants of those affected as another source of income, requiring him to travel extensively over the vast areas of Namibia.

The novel highlights contrasts throughout: the red, bright heat of the North is contrasted with the grey, dark and cold of the South; the man of the earth, the Australian Quinty, is the opposite of the delicate German, Jago, both loved by Henry, Will’s idyllic dream is in stark contrast to Chesley’s humanitarian crusade, and the contrast between the ocean and the desert is beautifully illustrated on the front cover.

The novel moves at a slow pace and has a meditative, nostalgic effect on the reader. Namibia is described in prose-like language; from the harbour town of Lüderitz, to the abandoned Kolmanskop (Kolmannskuppe), the Sperrgebiet, and the sweltering heat of Grootfontein in the North.

The novel is written in the past tense with Henry as narrator and consists of 3 parts (Lüderitz, Kolmanskop and Elizabeth Bay) with no chapters. Although it is written in English, there are quite a few German and Afrikaans sentences as well. (No, it did not bother me; it created a feeling of authenticity.)

The novel is recommended for lovers of Namibia and reminds of Henno Martin’s ‘The sheltering desert’ and John Gordon Davis’ ‘The land God made in anger’.

4 stars from #Uitdieperdsebek

[Keith Bain · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not always an easy book if you are fidgety or gunning for the big reveal, or some momentous moment. Its still, contemplative, ruminative pace, and its sometimes meditative quality, are an extension of the narrator's melancholy. And this, in turn, one assumes to be a consequence of the desert's liminal, haunting nature, not to mention a lingering side-effect of the unacknowledged genocidal atrocities in Nambia's colonial past that remain unacknowledged. The past is always with us, is what it reminds us. And there's some weirdness in the book that serves as a curious hook.

[Rozanne Visagie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an electronic copy of this book by Penguin Random House SA in exchange for an honest review.



At the Edge of the Desert is a different kind of historical fiction for me, I'm used to reading about Germany, but this story takes place in Lüderitz, Namibia. Living in South Africa I've only heard stories and have seen photos of Lüderitz, but after reading this book I see Lüderitz and the surrounding areas in a new light.

I found it a bit difficult to review this book, even though I love historical fiction, this was somewhat different for me. As the title suggests, the setting is dry and barren, but the characters and the history of the area are rich and interesting. This is a quick read and even though there aren't any chapters, the story has a steady pace. The book is divided into 3 parts: Lüderitz, Kolmanskop and Elizabeth Bay.

I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the landscape and the German that's included in the dialogue. The storyline is good and readers will meet different characters who play an integral part in the main character, Henry's life. The story contains mature content, but other than that this a great read for anyone who is interested in the history of Lüderitz and who wants to broaden their knowledge of historical fiction. This book motivated me to find out more about Lüderitz and I hope to visit some of the locations mentioned in the book, including Shark Island, in the future.

This review is posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.c...

[Ahmed Hussien · Rating 3 out of 5]

ليس بالضبط ما توقعته فى قصة من الادب الافريقى.
تستطيع استبدال الشخصيات الأفريقية بشخصيات اوروبية بدون اى تأثير يذكر على مسار الأحداث.. لم اجد فى الرواية الروح الأفريقية. لعل ذلك بسبب ان المؤلف باسيل لورانس هو جنوب افريقي ابيض يعيش فى لندن. إلا ان الرواية بها جمل رقيقة وفنية ترسم لوحات جميلة بكلمات بلاغية

[Zelda FeatzReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

“a meditation on loss, isolation and love, which asks us to consider the implications of telling someone else’s story.”
Pre-COVID, I had the opportunity to work with a lot of German travellers visiting Namibia, this resulted in me receiving a lot of feedback on the country and loads of scenic photos. When I came across At the Edge of the Desert, I was excited to read the book and experience the author’s take on Namibia.
Basil Lawrence has an easy writing style, with beautiful descriptions of the scenery. His dialogue, however, shifts between English, Afrikaans, and the odd bits of German – I was lost on all the German phrases included and I am sure international readers will find it difficult to understand the Afrikaans lingo used. These Afrikaans bits are often not explained and if you are not familiar with these Afrikaans phrases it could make it difficult to understand.
The storyline was good, I enjoyed the wacky characters and the history that was included in the story. I am inspired to read more about the Namibian history. Unfortunately, the excessive sexual scenes and explicit sexual descriptions spoilt this book for me a little bit. I did not see the need for including these and had the author rather toned those down a bit then At the Edge of the Desert would have been a much more enjoyable read.
There is a large cast in the story and most of them are very entertaining. Having to pick a favourite I would lean towards Amanda – I enjoyed how difficult and stuck up she was. Especially after finding out that she is not really who she pretends to be.
This book will not make it onto my LOVED list, yet at the same time, I cannot say that I hated it. Part of the story was really good and made for entertaining reading, yet some parts really didn’t work for me.
This book will appeal to open-minded readers who enjoy African/historical fiction and who do not mind explicit sexual scenes.
Visit the blog at: https://featzreviews.com