the quiet violence of dreams a novel k sello duiker

He has to go to great lengths merely to get a pair of shoes he tries many different avenues only to be thwarted at almost every turn. Despite his tough, aggressive exterior he is also naïve in some ways, trusting some people that are not at all trustworthy. Azure has an unimaginably tough life the things he has to do simply to eat are horrific but, worse than this, are the gangsters with whom he has to interact and who rule over him.

His thoughts jump around apparently randomly in a stream-of-consciousness way but without the obscurity sometimes encountered with the use of this narrative device. It is written in the present tense, which gives it an immediacy, and simultaneously describes his movements and his thoughts, the questions he asks himself and his commentary on his life and situation. The feat of having written this book is quite amazing K Sello Duiker gets right into the head of Azure, or Blue, as he is later dubbed. Azure also hates drug-taking though he likes zol. I know I should not limit myself this way but, after all, I read for enjoyment as well as for illumination. I have an aversion to novels where taking drugs is a strong element not sure why, but I do not like reading about people in drug induced states. After the first few pages, I realised why I had avoided it for so long. This book was published in 2000 and I have been asking myself why I have not read it before, especially as it is highly acclaimed and I knew this.

It is set in a Cape Town that is very different from the one many readers know. It is written from the perspective of a homeless, twelve year old boy Azure, pronounced Ah-zoo-ray, as he tells us, who has to think of himself as a man. Thirteen Cents is a shock to the system a punch to the solar plexus a very grim read but brilliantly executed.

The quiet violence of dreams a novel k sello duiker