This one is from the lovely Emma and was asked over on FB.
What's your favourite under appreciated novel?
I thought about this one for quite a long time because I read a wide variety of books and genres, and there are, in my opinion, under appreciated novels in all genres. But, one book I think about a lot is a book I read when I was probably around 14 years old.
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay is an epic tale set in South Africa in the 1930s and 1940's. It's told from the point of view by Peekay, and English boy growing up in the country during turbulent times.
Thanks to his mother's breakdown, Peekay is raised by a Zulu wet nurse. Then, he is sent off to boarding school at a young age where he is bullied.
What follows is not only a coming of age story, but also a story of how Peekay views the world and the rise of the Third Reich in other parts of the world. It's wonderfully written, and paints a vivid picture of how Peekay views the world around him, and beyond.
As I said, it has stayed with me for years, and I really want to reread it - however, I loaned my copy out and it was never returned.
I highly recommend it - but not the movie adaptation, that was dreadful. (Not even the great Morgan Freeman could save it as far as I was concerned.
