Young South African soldier Tom Smith (Thomas Aloysius Smythe) is a prisoner of war initially taken by the Italians. At his capture a fellow prisoner, the rather prissy Douglas, latches on to him and takes an almost motherly interest in him. But later when a new prisoner, Danny, takes an interest in Tom, conflicts of loyalty arise. But that is just the first of many conflicts the men will encounter during their imprisonment.

Bitter Eden is a story about the relationships between men who while they consider themselves straight, face the conflicting emotions that result from being closely confined under the most difficult conditions. When men build such close friendships, so close that they come to depend upon each other for day to day survival, for the closeness of shared body heat through freezing nights, it inevitably leads to confusions which can be betrayed by the bodies own natural responses. It is this confusion that is so convincingly portrayed that forms the backbone of the story.

The friendship that develops between Tom and Danny is fraught with problems, but it is based a deep bond of loyalty, and although not named, love. Tatamkhulu Afrika wrote Bitter Eden when eighty years old, his first novel, yet is has a freshness and originality, both in the nature of the story in the remarkable telling. It is a most compelling read, vividly depicting some of the horrors suffered by prisoners of World War II, rich in emotion, at times heart rending. It is a story that will leave the reader much to contemplate, not least the enigmatic conclusion. ( )

A South African soldier, Tom, is taken prisoner in North Africa in World War II. A gay fellow prisoner (Douglas) takes him under his wing, but Tom is a bit repulsed by the man's swishiness. Tom befriends another, more masculine soldier, and they play out an elaborate dance - neither willing to admit their attraction to the other.

Told in the first person, the book has some annoying characteristics. Some of the sentences are convoluted and confusing - reflective, perhaps, of the main character's state of mind - causing this reader to occasionally stumble. Linguistic anachronisms dot the text too. Still, the moody pensive tone carries the day and I found it a worthwhile read. ( )