Contemporary
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Robert Dewar’s particular strengths as a writer – a well-structured plot, a praiseworthy command of language, an accurate and lively description of the various locations and settings within the story, and an ability to bring alive the characters – are very evident in ‘Nineteen Seventy-Six.’ Richard, the protagonist in ‘Nineteen Seventy-Six,’ is all too human: flawed, failing, at times utterly lost, he quickly gains the reader’s sympathy and support. The other characters who feature in this story are portrayed with equal empathy. This is a love story twice over: not only is ‘Nineteen Seventy-Six’ a love story in itself, but Robert Dewar’s deep knowledge of and love for Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula is very evident. If you have never visited Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula, you will wish to do so after reading this story. Neither “gritty” nor “edgy” (those qualities beloved of trendy contemporary UK publishers), ‘Nineteen Seventy-Six’ is an elegy for a lost age: for a South African society and culture long since eradicated (and no doubt, deservingly so), but which (politics aside) possessed a particular charm of its own. Although the story is set for the most part in the year 1976, against the backdrop of civil unrest, racial strife, and not infrequent violence which swept across South Africa that year, it is not a political story. This is a story which chronicles the lives of very ordinary (as in, conventional) people, but who are possessed of particular character quirks which bring them wonderfully alive. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Nineteen Seventy-Six.’
I have taken great pleasure from reading Robert Dewar's superb novels over the last few years and his latest is every bit as evocative and compelling. Robert paints a picture of Africa which very few in the UK have ever experienced with genuine affection and vivid realism. 'Nineteen Seventy-Six' is a homage to a lost way of life in a country on the brink of monumental change where old values would be replaced by a brave new world of tolerance finally gaining power over racial prejudice and servitude. It is also a love story. The author has great skill at taking every day events and molding them into a fascinating and engrossing tapestry. Into this tapestry he weaves characters full of empathy and passion.
This novel is set in the days of the anti-apartheid movement and gives us a realistic picture of events as they impacted on the lives of the fictional characters. The story is based in Cape Town and features a rather old world hotel, and an insightful portrayal of owners and residents. The main character is the hotel owner and the story line includes a romance with a younger cousin, and the impact that has on those whom it touches, particularly his wife and son. The main character is Richard Channing, and this character is explored in some depth. However the inner lives of the other characters are also developed in a way that is convincing and real, and this gives the novel added depth and interest. I was fascinated by the description of places, shops, hotels and the like, in vivid detail, and anyone who knows these locations at first hand will find the novel has added interest. The daily life of the hotel is shown and we are treated to a sympathetic account of the culinary experiences. The author's own knowledge of the background has helped him create a detailed accurate picture of life in the 1970s. There is mention of the clerical anti-apartheid movement and the names of some of the individuals are accurately reported. Part of the story line includes the main character's increasingly problematic relationship with alcohol, and his 'redemption' is covered in the latter part of the book. I felt the author skipped over this bit rather swiftly and it would have given heightened psychological interest if it had been explored at greater depth. If anything the story winds up too abruptly and I would have liked more! Robert Dewar has a great command of words and great ability to describe a scene and evoke a mood. None of the details of places or events are introduced at random. The book gives the impression of being thoroughly planned. It explores moral issues around relationships, empathy and personal standing. If you like a novel for any of these reasons, this will not disappoint you.
On the beautiful Cape Peninsular, a great house built on the mountainside gazes out on a limitless southern ocean. By 1976 it had become a residential hotel, and Richard Channing, its proprietor, had personal problems more burdensome even than a perennial shortage of funds. Richard was disappointed with life: trapped in a loveless marriage, increasingly alienated from his son, and unable to see a way forward. But then his distant cousin, a lovely young English girl, arrives on what becomes a lengthy and extended visit, and everything begins to change for Richard.
At the same time, dramatic events are taking place in South Africa. Only two weeks earlier there occurs a police massacre of black students in Soweto, an event which triggers a wave of country-wide marches, demonstrations and strikes by members of the black and coloured communities. South Africa is engulfed by unrest and periodic violence - not all of which the residents of the great house on its lonely mountainside are able to avoid.
Richard, however, is in love. And the outcome of this love, and the consequences of his lovely young cousin’s visit, will take many years before they can be fully realised. For the young English girl’s visit will cause as dramatic a change in Richard’s and his family’s lives, as the Soweto Youth Uprising will bring about in South Africa’s social and political life.
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