Shame (Collected Works of Coetzee)

"Shame" is a very readable novel with rich layers of content and implications. The protagonist Lurie is ups and downs in various whirlpools of race, sex, middle age, and family relationships. The novel is named "Shame", which is "moral shame" (the moral degradation referred to in Lurie's several affairs), "personal shame" (his daughter was raped and robbed), and "historical shame" (white people who are colonizers or their descendants are eventually "degraded" to survive under the protection of local blacks at the expense of reputation and body). The novel reflects South Africa's social contradictions and past racial conflicts, and touches on contemporary attitudes towards romantic passion and ethics.