André Carl Van der Merwe

Oh man, this is not an easy book to read. Based on the author's own life, this book follows a gay man who has been conscripted into the South African army, forced to fight for something he doesn't believe in. And terrified that the higher ups will find out that he is gay.

The writing itself is relatively simple and easy to read, but the material itself is often dark and difficult. The book mostly focuses on Nicholas's army training, which is brutal. The men training the recruits seem to take pleasure in physically and psychologically abusing them to the point that it is borderline torture or actual torture for those are less desirable, such as gay people. At the same time he struggles with accepting his identity, despite being told that it was wrong his whole life. The story also looks at his childhood, where there was a lot of pressure to be a man, especially from his father (i.e. stereotypical strong male who plays rugby and loves girls, etc.). We see the harm this kind of mindset can do through other characters as well.

This kind of book shows just how far LGBTQ+ rights have come in South Africa over the years. While I'm sure that people still have horrific experiences, this kind of behaviour is now very much illegal and people are protected. This is a book of gay pain and struggle that communicates its message incredibly well. I'm just glad it ends on a slightly more positive note as it looks as Nicholas's life after he leaves the struggles of the army. It's definitely a book I can recommend if you are interested in the experiences of gay men in the army (although hopefully things are much better now).… (altro)

Amazing, heartbreaking, wonderful fiction about a gay man in the South African military. It recounts the brutality of military life along with the incredible pain of being gay in a rigidly, militaristic and conservative culture. This book tore me apart and put me back together. A must-read! It's replaced Broken Glass Park as my favorite Europa. See my full review here: http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2012/01/review-moffie-by-andre-carl-van-der.htm...… (altro)