Contemporary
Downhill Without Brakes explores the impact of dramatic societal change on a group of characters in post-Apartheid South Africa. The story is told through the eyes of a black and a white protagonist as they deal with the outcomes of an ill-fated encounter between them.
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Downhill Without Brakes is set in newly democratic South Africa, as the shine is wearing off Mandela’s ‘rainbow nation’. The country grapples with rampant AIDS, mass unemployment and huge racial inequalities. Social change impact’s the two main characters and their relationships, as each struggles to stay afloat in turbulent times.
Ezekiel Mabuza, popular doorman at Durban City Hall, he has lost one son to AIDS, the other in township violence and his wife to cancer. He firmly believes that he will lose his daughters next.
Ben Gallagher, city museum director, is trying to hold on to a shaky marriage and keep the museum going in straightened circumstances, while training for the Comrades marathon and fending off a municipal workers strike. A visit by wealthy Swedish grant-givers is disrupted by a startling incident between Ezekiel and Ben, with drastic consequences.
Downhill Without Brakes is a poignant novel that traces how one fateful incident changes the lives of both men forever.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
Perhaps the greatest victory for the progressive Left in the last century was the defeat of apartheid in South Africa. It was a victory in which all could share. But how quickly the euphoria began to evaporate after Mandela’s death, with the continuing economic inequalities, and the sleaze and corruption we see today. What a terrible disappointment, and who could feel it more acutely than those at the bottom of the heap, the township residents who supply the necessary workforce, as well as the handful of white ex-ANC activists who form the other dimension of Val Binney’s story. Binney sets her novel in the latter years of Mbeki’s presidency. Much of the action takes place in the city of Durban and its rural hinterland which the author evokes in colourful and pungent detail. As we follow the fortunes of Ezekiel Mabuza, doorman at Durban’s City Hall, work which involves an exhausting commute by bus to his township Umlazi, we are brought face to face with the conditions of life in the streets, the institutions, the prisons and hospitals of the new South Africa. These scenes are cleverly contrasted with the quiet suburban experience of Mabuza’s manager, Ben Gallagher, and his circle of affluent professionals who represent a microcosm of trends in white South African society at this time. From the very start of the novel, the reader is drawn into the lives of these characters, their likes and dislikes, their fears and aspirations, and the tensions that emerge in their various relationships as the action unfolds. The two main protagonists, Mabuza and Gallagher, are both in their different ways, warmly sympathetic personalities, so that we cannot but care deeply for what happens to them, and this sustains the reader’s interest and enjoyment to the novel’s satisfying conclusion. A superb read which I have no hesitation in recommending to those with an interest in South African politics or who just enjoy a good story.
I enjoyed Downhill Without Brakes enormously, and read it quickly finding ot to be a page turner. I have not lived in, or visited, South Africa and am unfamiliar with the impact of the political circumstances on everyday lives. Reading this book gave me a better understanding of the challenges, injustices, and disillusionment people experience living in the current political climate. I was able to relate to the characters who I found to be well rounded and credible. I formed a liking for some more than others. All were nuanced, all rooted in reality and life experience showing how circumstances test character in different ways, understandably so. I found the way the novel span out from the hasty, and later regretted decision, to deny Ezekiel leave a really interesting structure and one which allowed unintended implications to be explored via individuals representing different cultures and beliefs. A great read, Thank you Val.
An apposite title for a compelling story of two men whose worlds are falling apart. It follows the lives of the middle aged protagonists in the wake of an unexpected encounter in an all too public setting. The tale takes the reader into the world of post apartheid South Africa and is told from the perspective of each; Ben, white and living an apparently comfortable life in the suburbs of Durban; and Ezekiel, black and commuting into the city from his township. We meet their families and become familiar with their circles, and as their situations deteriorate, a black woman, Nomsa Silongo, forms an heroic bridge between their worlds. Val Binney’s novel is beautifully observed and written, and like the title, never loses momentum.
'Downhill Without Brakes' is a compelling story, set in post-apartheid South Africa. I was completely drawn into that world, with all its personal dilemmas and broader conflicts. The novel focuses on two characters whose lives are turned upside down in different ways, and these two perspectives are brought to life with sensitivity and insight. The novel is really well-written, and the author has a particularly good ear for dialogue. Thoroughly recommended.
Downhill without Brakes is an intriguing tale about a disastrous episode between two South African men and its fallout that severely impacts the lives of both. Set against a background of social unrest, following the end of Apartheid and the dawn of the newly elected ANC, the reader is given a true sense of the political mood at that time – the disillusionment that ensued following the failed promises of the ANC, with mass unemployment and the resulting strikes, as well as deep racial inequalities. Ezekiel Mabuza, a loyal employee of a science museum in Durban, is a sympathetic character. The story opens with a request he makes to his boss, Ben Gallagher, director of the museum. It is the outcome of this meeting that triggers the violent encounter that follows later, but to expand on this would spoil the suspense. The plot is straightforward and, though there are no great revelations or unexpected twists, it nevertheless makes for a compelling read. The pacing is spot on, driving the story forward to its satisfying conclusion. Along the way, we are a party to Ezekiel and Gallagher’s mental struggles and the effect on their respective families. As the situation goes from bad to worse, we feel for them. Another leading character who has a huge part to play in Ezekiel’s fate is his sister-in-law, Nomsa - a resourceful, determined woman whom we are forced to admire. These three main protagonists are all distinctive characters and we cannot help but be invested in them. As the story unfolds, we see great character development resulting from the mental and physical torment they have each endured. One small point I feel is worth a mention: the author has chosen to write Ben Gallagher’s POV in the first person, as opposed to the rest of the book which is in the third person. This transition takes place part way through the various chapters, which I found a little distracting at first. Having said that, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book and is only a minor point for other readers to be aware of. Val Binney has an easy-flowing style with well-written prose and a keen eye for detail. The dialogue is authentic and all the peripheral characters are well-rounded. An interesting story with a serious theme that I found both poignant and enlightening. I highly recommend this author – certainly one to watch out for in the future. 5*
