Loading...
49th out of 58 books
—
394 voters
My rating:
add to my books
The Boy Next Door
by
Irene Sabatini (Goodreads Author)
Winner of the 2010 Orange Prize for New Writers
"Immediately engaging, vivid and buzzing with energy, The Boy Next Door is the work of a true storyteller... At heart a love story, it is also so much more as, through the experiences of its charismatic protagonists, it charts the first two decades of the emerging Zimbabwe with honesty, humour and humanity... Irene ...more
"Immediately engaging, vivid and buzzing with energy, The Boy Next Door is the work of a true storyteller... At heart a love story, it is also so much more as, through the experiences of its charismatic protagonists, it charts the first two decades of the emerging Zimbabwe with honesty, humour and humanity... Irene ...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
September 8th 2009
by Little, Brown and Company
(first published August 20th 2009)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
743)
Hooray for the orange Award for new Writers!
Why? Because this book might never come to my attention had it not been shortlisted.
The setting interested me: Zimbabwe shortly after the Act of Settlement and the first free elections, when white minority rule ended and Robert Mugabe came to power. I was young but my best friend had cousins the same age as us in Zimbabwe, and so we followed developments carefully.
And then the heroine captivated me. In 1978 she was ...more
Why? Because this book might never come to my attention had it not been shortlisted.
The setting interested me: Zimbabwe shortly after the Act of Settlement and the first free elections, when white minority rule ended and Robert Mugabe came to power. I was young but my best friend had cousins the same age as us in Zimbabwe, and so we followed developments carefully.
And then the heroine captivated me. In 1978 she was ...more
Holly
marked it as to-read
From Musings: 4 stars
Set in post-colonial Zimbabwe, The Boy Next Door is the story of Lindiwe Bishop, a quiet 14-year-old girl of mixed race. She and her family live in what was previously an all-white suburb. Ian McKenzie, the boy in the title, is a few years older, of British (white) descent, and when the story opens, has just been arrested for setting his stepmother on fire. Despite, or perhaps because of, parental warnings, Lindiwe is fascinated by Ian. When he is cleared of ...more
Set in post-colonial Zimbabwe, The Boy Next Door is the story of Lindiwe Bishop, a quiet 14-year-old girl of mixed race. She and her family live in what was previously an all-white suburb. Ian McKenzie, the boy in the title, is a few years older, of British (white) descent, and when the story opens, has just been arrested for setting his stepmother on fire. Despite, or perhaps because of, parental warnings, Lindiwe is fascinated by Ian. When he is cleared of ...more
Jenny
rated it
After signing up for the Around the World in 52 Books challenge for 2012, I ended up in a handful of other groups having to do with world literature. This was selected as the November contemporary lead in the Great African Reads group. I'm behind, and then chose to listen to the audio, but I finished today.
First of all - the narrator of the audiobook was wonderful. She has also done some Adichie and I would love to hear her do that. Her accents really brought the story to life fo...more
First of all - the narrator of the audiobook was wonderful. She has also done some Adichie and I would love to hear her do that. Her accents really brought the story to life fo...more
Breathe in. And out. Where do I begin with this review?
I received this book from Hachette Book Group; I’ll start there. It sat on my bookcase for a while before I was ready to pick it up; it was intimidating and large and serious looking and I knew I needed to be ready for it. I started it, and fifty pages in I stopped and restarted it, and I’m glad I did. Restarting it allowed me to settle in with the narrative voice, it let me be fully familiar with Lindiwe and the way she uses mem...more
I received this book from Hachette Book Group; I’ll start there. It sat on my bookcase for a while before I was ready to pick it up; it was intimidating and large and serious looking and I knew I needed to be ready for it. I started it, and fifty pages in I stopped and restarted it, and I’m glad I did. Restarting it allowed me to settle in with the narrative voice, it let me be fully familiar with Lindiwe and the way she uses mem...more
I loved this engrossing novel. In a crowded market of first time novels this one stands out both for its unusual setting - Zimbabwe in the years following independence - and for its sure handling, a keenly observed story by a writer who clearly knows the world she describes and who is obviously passionate about all her characters.
Lindiwe and Ian are the protagonists, neighbouring teenagers who inhabit very different worlds, she a black Zimbabwean, he a 'Rhodie' with the attitudes of...more
Lindiwe and Ian are the protagonists, neighbouring teenagers who inhabit very different worlds, she a black Zimbabwean, he a 'Rhodie' with the attitudes of...more
view 1 comment
What I love about reading is that you can pick up a book you've never heard of, full of a place and time you know nothing about and by the end of it have a real feel for the people and their lives.
A small mystery , an unlikely seemingly impossible relationship and real characters set amid the turmoil of post-war Rhodesia/Zimbabwe sets the scene for a very memorable book. This book was 'lekker'!!
A small mystery , an unlikely seemingly impossible relationship and real characters set amid the turmoil of post-war Rhodesia/Zimbabwe sets the scene for a very memorable book. This book was 'lekker'!!
Had I reviewed this book after the first 150 pages, I would only have given it 3 stars. It had the usual first novel feel, with passages that could have been much more fully explored. But by the time I reached the end of the book, I had been totally drawn in. The relationship between Ian, a "Rhodie" and Lindiwe, a young "colored" woman in Zimbabwe shortly after independence was initially not that compelling - typical teen love. But as the book went on, their struggle to...more
I absolutely loved it. I am returing the ARC to the friend I borrowed it from but I am going to buy my own copy. I googled the book and found the following review by Debra Ginsberg in Shelf-Awareness which really captures the way I felt about the story:
Irene Sabatini's remarkable debut novel about Zimbabwe is a kaleidoscopic blend of elements encompassing everything from coming of age and first love to race, nationalism and the rapid degradation of a once-thriving country.... Her po...more
Irene Sabatini's remarkable debut novel about Zimbabwe is a kaleidoscopic blend of elements encompassing everything from coming of age and first love to race, nationalism and the rapid degradation of a once-thriving country.... Her po...more
"The Boy Next Door" is an engrossing novel that starts out as a mystery of sorts (did Ian really do it?) in which curiosity about her neighbor leads to friendship and then love. But it's not an easy love.
The writing style was a bit rambling at times, especially at the beginning when the story often sidetracked in time or focus. However, I didn't find this distracting and was able to follow what was going on. The author also primarily wrote in the present tense ("he say...more
The writing style was a bit rambling at times, especially at the beginning when the story often sidetracked in time or focus. However, I didn't find this distracting and was able to follow what was going on. The author also primarily wrote in the present tense ("he say...more
The Boy Next Door, like many good stories, is difficult to characterize. The story of Lindiwe is a coming of age story and a love story. But since begins in Zimbabwe in the 1980s, The Boy Next Door gives us unique insight into the political upheaval and violence that accompanied those early years of independence from British rule.
Lindiwe and Ian McKenzie are both interesting and sympathetic characters in their own right, but the extraordinary circumstances that they find themselves i...more
Lindiwe and Ian McKenzie are both interesting and sympathetic characters in their own right, but the extraordinary circumstances that they find themselves i...more
This is the best book I’ve read in many years. The characters are very much alive and the story is vividly told. There is so much life and suffering at the beginning… I was saddened by what seemed to be another tragic story about the impossibility of living through one’s choices. But how the story proved me wrong! I got engrossed with the plot a little more every page I turned and ended up feeling very emotional and attached to the characters, all of them. They all have a truth to tell. This boo...more
I loved this book. It was a wonderful, page-turning, sometimes heartbreaking, clear eyed, unsentimental immersion in Zimbabwe from the 80s til today, told through the lens of a powerful uncliched love story. It has the sweep and power of an epic novel, a fresh crisp narrative voice, and characters it is easy to care passionately about. A lovely counterpoint to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs...
This book goes beyond archetype and cliche and shows us life in Zimbabwe from the inside. It...more
This book goes beyond archetype and cliche and shows us life in Zimbabwe from the inside. It...more
This book immerses the reader in the political unrest experienced in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) as well as the culture, religiosity and corruption. The Boy Next Door is the coming-of-age story of a young black girl and the white boy next door, their romance, trials, and troubles as a racially-mixed couple in a political hot zone. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that Ian (white boy) appears to have the deepest loyalties to Zimbabwe of the two of them. In spite of the educati...more
What a beautiful story. Loved every page, loved Lindiwe's voice and the setting. I felt like I was in the middle of a girl growing up and a country devolving.
This novel is set in Zimbabwe from the 80s through the 90s. It follows a young "colored" girl who falls in love with her white next door neighbor who is accused of killing his step-mother. The racial politics are fascinating, similar to the politics of Zimbabwe's neighbor South Africa in many ways. You watch her grow up while watching the country slip into chaos.
There's a lot of slang in this book which added to the sense of place but it wasn't always easy to figure ou...more
There's a lot of slang in this book which added to the sense of place but it wasn't always easy to figure ou...more
I'm always on the lookout for books about Zimbabwe, especially in the 80s through the 90s. And I love well written novels. I thought this would be perfect.
It is good in many ways, especially as a first novel. some of Sabatini's language is beautiful and i got a sense of what it would be like watching your country destroyed around you.
The characters stayed flat for me, though. I could never really hear Lindewe's voice or understand her motivations this held true for th...more
It is good in many ways, especially as a first novel. some of Sabatini's language is beautiful and i got a sense of what it would be like watching your country destroyed around you.
The characters stayed flat for me, though. I could never really hear Lindewe's voice or understand her motivations this held true for th...more
From a literary standpoint, this might well be on the list of best books I've ever read. Not the most entertaining, but, o, so beautifully written. It makes me wish I had reserved 5 stars for very special occasions only. The timeline covers the political history of Zimbabwe through a young girl's fascination with the boy who lives next door and has been accused of burning his step mother alive. There is so much going on in this book that I don't want to spoil it. What I can express is my re...more
This debut novel begins in post-independence Zimbabwe, in the city of Bulawayo. Lindiwe Bishop is a 14 year old girl who is a 'lightie', a Zimbabwean of mixed descent, whose family is the first to integrate a formerly white neighborhood in the city. Their closest neighbors are the McKenzies, including their 17 year old son Ian. The McKenzies are 'Rhodies', descendants of the original British colonialists that helped to create the state of Rhodesia, who are nonplussed to find themselves out of po...more
It took me about 50 pages to get drawn into this book, but once I felt the connection, I didn't want to put it down. I read an advance copy, and I hope the finished version contains a glossary. The colloquialisms were the biggest hurdle. While they added significantly to the voice and setting, I felt like I was missing a whole dimension of the story. Of course, by the time I'd finished the book, I was thoroughly engrossed, and none of that mattered.
Falling in love with this novel's unforgettable protagonist opened my heart to Zimbabwe. Through the compelling narrative of an inter-racial couple, the larger story of Rhodesia's rebirth as Zimbabwe is told with nuance, empathy and rigor. The couple's child won a special nook in my heart, never to be dislodged. All praise to Irene Sabatini for the transparency, the lightness and the depth of her debut novel!
Shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Award, and it's very well written. However, I quit after part 1 (something more than 100 pages). I was in college when Zimbabwe-Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and I followed the process with my poly sci class, so I was looking forward to reading about the country through a novelist's eyes. But that exciting part of its history is presented in a dull way, at least in part 1.
Also, there is a significant language barrier in that "the boy next door" u...more
Also, there is a significant language barrier in that "the boy next door" u...more
This is a relatively simple love and coming of age story following Lindiwe a Black teen and Ian a white teen growing up in Zimbabwe. This is however no twee love story with boy meets girl, boy falls in love and happily ever after. The complexity of the couples relationship as they attempt to bring up a young child and deals with the trials of being on a mixed race relationship, are mirrored by the ever increasingly fractured Zimbabwe.
As someone with limited knowledge of Zimbabwe ...more
I blazed through this highly appealing book in a couple of days. Sabatini has a fresh, minimalistic style, and she makes the reader work a little bit (a glossary at the back of the book might've been nice), but that's okay. I enjoyed the love story between Lindiwe, a mixed-race Zimbabwean girl and the white boy who lived next door, and I look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next.
This book was an okay read. Was a bit unrealistic for me. Some of the characters like the parents were too much of caricatures. Would have liked more depth in their personalities and more of a back story. I like how the main character's personality was conveyed.
Engaging story of the evolution of love in post-independence Zimbabwe as the country teeters on the edge of civil war. A first novel by a writer I look forward to hearing from again. Good voice, interesting characters and a compelling story.
A girl in Zimbabwe is fascinated by a white boy next door who is accused of burning his step-mother alive. They grow close but then are separated until years later when he returns and she is now a young woman in a much different country.
Absolutely fascinating story of a relationship between a black woman and a white man that begins around the time of the birth of Zimbabwe. Interestingly written and you'd never suspect it was the first novel for this author.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Theresa
is currently reading it
Excellent. I enjoyed it so much. Very well written. Having been to Zimbabwe a few times I really appreciated her perspective on the events that have led to the current situation. The characters are superbe.
Keani
marked it as to-read
I haven't read this book but even can conclude that love crosses anything. How can you keep someone from loving an evil man if love works?
Where can I get the book, anyway? *optimistic to get it easily*
Where can I get the book, anyway? *optimistic to get it easily*
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great African Reads: November 2011: The Boy Next Door | 58 | 22 | Dec 18, 2011 08:46am | |
| A 2012 Challenge:...: Marieke Recommends The Boy Next Door | 2 | 15 | Oct 01, 2011 11:25am |
Winner of the ORANGE PRIZE FOR NEW WRITERS 2010
I was born some forty years ago in Hwange, a coal ming town in west Zimbabwe. I grew up in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo is known for its rather sleepy, laid back nature and its graceful colonial era architecture, examples of which can be found on my website www.irenesabatini.com.
I s...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
