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Die Wand der Zeit
Auf einer einsamen Insel, die in Regen und Nebel versinkt, lebt ein Mann, Bran. Verbannt von denen, deren Anführer er war, ritzt er seit zehn Jahren ein Zeichen für jeden vergangenen Tag in die Felswand seiner Höhle, teilt sich die kargen Ressourcen der Insel für den Rest seines Lebens ein. Bis ein rätselhafter Fremder auftaucht und alte Erinnerungen und Sehnsüchte aufrührt. Bran beschließt, in seine Heimat zurückzukehren, auch wenn ihm dort die Hinrichtung droht. Auf den Tod ist er gefasst. Nicht aber darauf, dass keiner ihn wiederzuerkennen scheint. Mit wachsender Verzweiflung sucht er nach Zeugnissen einer Vergangenheit, an die niemand erinnert werden will: einer Zeit, in der er grausame Entscheidungen traf, um das Überleben seines Volkes zu sichern. Die Übersetzung aus dem Englischen wurde mit Mitteln des Auswärtigen Amtes unterstützt durch litprom - Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Literatur aus Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika e.V.
www.litprom.de
www.litprom.de
- GenresFiction
253 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 14, 2021
Seit dem ich das Buch heute in der Frühe beendet habe, muss ich den ganzen Tag daran denken. Auch wenn es hier und da ein paar ganz kleine Längen hat, ist die Stimmung des Buches, in meinen Augen, aussergewöhnlich.
September 11, 2011
This book had an extremely strong start, but after chapter five it really nose dived and left me feeling unsatisfied.
The start of the book was very interesting and detailed Bran's lonely existence on the island. The methods Bran used to stay sane were really emotive to me. The fact that he had listed and measured every resource to ensure he could only live for another twenty years, was actually quite sad. It showed that he was simply counting down the days/years until he died. He was not living, merely exiting until all resources left on the island had run out. The details of his routines were also well written, the continuous routines seemed to be what motivated Bran to get through his days with his mind intact, and once these routines are disrupted you begin to see how badly this affects his behaviour and moods.
The prose was actually very good in this book. The short, abrupt sentences accurately portray the speech/thoughts that someone would develop after spending ten years alone.
The negative part of the book for me was the whole middle section. In this part of the book Bran leaves the island and travels back to his home. This should have been the most exciting part of the book, but ends up feeling frustratingly tedious. I wanted to know how and why the world seemed to have ended, yet every time the author seemed about to give a slight explanation... he backed off and used the excuse that nobody could remember what had happened in the past. It almost felt to me that he didn't have enough imagination or courage to really give us an in depth back story to explain the actions of Bran and his people. It left me feeling irritated because this author obviously has talent, and just needs to give the reader that extra information to really sink their teeth into. I also found that the Bran's mission to find someone to recognise him in the town very repetitive and really wanted the plot to move along.
The end of the book does pick up again as Bran returns to his island, you see the decline in his mental state and the acceptance of what is to happen to him. This in turn lead to a fitting ending to the book, and leaves you debating the question of is it ever right to kill the few to save the many?
Overall, the plot was not strong enough all the way through for me. Although the beginning and ending were interesting, the middle of the book just left me feeling disappointed and feeling that the author had so much more to give.
The start of the book was very interesting and detailed Bran's lonely existence on the island. The methods Bran used to stay sane were really emotive to me. The fact that he had listed and measured every resource to ensure he could only live for another twenty years, was actually quite sad. It showed that he was simply counting down the days/years until he died. He was not living, merely exiting until all resources left on the island had run out. The details of his routines were also well written, the continuous routines seemed to be what motivated Bran to get through his days with his mind intact, and once these routines are disrupted you begin to see how badly this affects his behaviour and moods.
The prose was actually very good in this book. The short, abrupt sentences accurately portray the speech/thoughts that someone would develop after spending ten years alone.
The negative part of the book for me was the whole middle section. In this part of the book Bran leaves the island and travels back to his home. This should have been the most exciting part of the book, but ends up feeling frustratingly tedious. I wanted to know how and why the world seemed to have ended, yet every time the author seemed about to give a slight explanation... he backed off and used the excuse that nobody could remember what had happened in the past. It almost felt to me that he didn't have enough imagination or courage to really give us an in depth back story to explain the actions of Bran and his people. It left me feeling irritated because this author obviously has talent, and just needs to give the reader that extra information to really sink their teeth into. I also found that the Bran's mission to find someone to recognise him in the town very repetitive and really wanted the plot to move along.
The end of the book does pick up again as Bran returns to his island, you see the decline in his mental state and the acceptance of what is to happen to him. This in turn lead to a fitting ending to the book, and leaves you debating the question of is it ever right to kill the few to save the many?
Overall, the plot was not strong enough all the way through for me. Although the beginning and ending were interesting, the middle of the book just left me feeling disappointed and feeling that the author had so much more to give.
July 29, 2011
An excellent, excellent read. If you haven't read it yet, stop what you're doing and go buy it right now. I can't recommend it enough.
The writing style is easy to read, it flows and goes quickly, and before you know it you've been sitting for hours reading through this. At the same time, it leaves many questions, and builds tension wonderfully. If you like a good story, and a book that raises philosophical questions that require plenty of thinking and arguing over, then this is for you.
The writing style is easy to read, it flows and goes quickly, and before you know it you've been sitting for hours reading through this. At the same time, it leaves many questions, and builds tension wonderfully. If you like a good story, and a book that raises philosophical questions that require plenty of thinking and arguing over, then this is for you.
November 4, 2012
Just finished reading Alastair Bruce's debut novel "Wall of Days" and I'm truly baffled by the brilliance and scope of this modest short novel written by a South-African newcomer. "Wall of Days" tells the post-apocaliptic story of Bain, a man stranded in a small island in the middle of an apparent big ocean, condemned to spend the rest of his life in total isolation after being judged and expelled by his community. We soon find out that the world Bain lives is a result of a millennium of global warming and general rising of sea levels, which was responsible for the end of all the civilizations we know today. Only two small continents (and small abandoned islands) are left, one called Bain (named after the stranded man, their first leader) and another called Axum. Struggling with the lack of food and natural resources both communities end up in a gruesome warfare, one that puts the human presence in planet Earth in the brink of non-existence. In order to put end to this self-destructive war, Bain (leader of Bain) and Andalus (leader of Axum) signed a peace treaty and laid down a set of peace-keeping rules in a document called the "Program". Under this "Program" Bain and Axum swore to respect each others territory and to not, in any circumstance, consume the natural resources of the neighboring continent. Faced with the need to comply with the "Program", Bain soon realizes that the food and natural resources present in his territory are terribly scarce and must devise a ruling system to keep its consumption to a minimum. It is with such preoccupations in mind that Bain decides to condemn to death by hanging every infirm or handicaped citizen unable to contribute with its labor to the farming and cultivation of the land and extraction of natural resources. This ruling, born of the despair for survival, was generally accepted by the Bain community for several years. However, soon enough the community started to undergo a change of heart and Bain is outcast by his own people, judged to expulsion. Bain's monotonous life in the island is suddenly put to challenge when one day the body of Axum's ex-general, Andalus, is washed ashore. Although very ill and apparently mute, the presence of Andalus in Bain territory marks the first known breach to the peace treaty. Using this as an excuse to return to his homeland, Bain sets out to sean in order to alert his community of the threat of war. What Bain finds when arriving in his community will leave the reader dumbfounded and awed. A brilliant literary essay on human behavior in life threatening scenarios, the fallacies of political thinking and the self-destructive quality of guilt. All and all one unforgettable book.
February 24, 2012
Beautifully written book that leaves you wondering about the character and what is real or imagined.
January 26, 2026
I can definitely see this book being studied in a classroom for what it’s worth but like most students in school they probably wouldn’t enjoy the book. Although the story is deep in some aspects, there is still a lot of things not fully explained or explored and it doesn’t help that the main character is an unreliable narrator. I understand the author not wanting to divulge too much but I thought that when Bran returned to his people they would at least be a bit more elucidative but it was more frustrating to find that they were so evasive and uncommunicative. So the book dragged mostly with not much revealed and anything that was didn’t pay off much.
I was also confused if Tora was really killed off in the end. Like was he just imagining her for his own sake like Andalus? I don’t get why the community hid her from him. Like I understand that it could be a way of further punishing him but killing her off made no sense when they wanted to put all that killing history behind them and she is not guilty of anything but being a past lover of him, right? That’s what also made the ending unsatisfying because the whole mystery of Tora felt unresolved and confusing like the whole plot really. By the end I was just getting bored waiting for the main character to stop being crazy and to hurry up and die.
I was also confused if Tora was really killed off in the end. Like was he just imagining her for his own sake like Andalus? I don’t get why the community hid her from him. Like I understand that it could be a way of further punishing him but killing her off made no sense when they wanted to put all that killing history behind them and she is not guilty of anything but being a past lover of him, right? That’s what also made the ending unsatisfying because the whole mystery of Tora felt unresolved and confusing like the whole plot really. By the end I was just getting bored waiting for the main character to stop being crazy and to hurry up and die.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2021
I was intrigued by the keywords of this book, `loss, guilt and remembering’, and then saw the author’s South African origins and decided to read it. It didn’t quite reach my vague expectations but was nevertheless a pleasant read. It was somewhat reminiscent of `Waiting for the Barbarians’, I thought, although it's 30 years since I read WFTB, and I wonder whether I might be reading too much into the South African origins. Written in an easy to read and - may I say - a rather dreamy style. I didn’t quite understand the protagonists need for judgement and atonement, expecting that one has to make harsh decisions in times of crisis – and being aware that what he did was part of routine UK govt plans for survival after a nuclear attack on the UK. I will read his next book `Boy on a Wire’.
October 4, 2011
Enigmatic, compelling and dreamlike. An accomplished debut,
On an island in the middle of a waterbound world, Bran ekes out a meagre, solitary but not entirely unpleasant existance, knowing that his kingdom is slowly but surely washing into the sea. It is a matter of some doubt which will last the longest - him or the island. He has been exiled there by his subjects for the terrible things he has done but, one day, an unexpected, unbidden visitor means he must return home to face his past.
I was worried that this book might turn out to be pretentious or boring but from the moment I opened it up I was hooked. It is slow moving and by no means exciting, but it *is* profoundly absorbing. True, the story dragged for a while towards the end of the first half and I found the raft escape sequence a little far-fetched (indeed some of the aspects of Bran's survival on the island were a little hard to swallow). Soon after this, however, things became deeply intriguing and it developed into a bit of a page-turner. The latter half took on an almost supernatural feel and I have to admit that much of the meaning of the ending escaped me. I think that I'll have to read it again because, for one thing, I was reading so quickly at this stage in order to get to the denouement that I fear that much of the detail, and perhaps some of the explanation, escaped me.
The drowning world that Bruce describes is an interesting idea. It's a plot device, of course, and is only intended to provide a setting for the real story, but while the story takes the opportunity to explore the concept (with some tantalising glmpses into the world's past) we never really followsthis thread and are left with so many questions unanswered.
Bruce's writing is highly accomplished, lucid and, yes, unpretentious. He paints his landscape with skill and he gives us a real sense of place. The atmosphere he evokes is dreamlike and this novel has the slightly unexpected feel (given its billing as a debut) of the work of an experienced and capable author.
The protagonist and narrator, Bran, is a sympathetic character and he remains so even as the awful reasons for his banishment become clear. He has strong parallels with many of the characters who play on the international stage in our own world; some of whom we revile as criminals or mad-men. In this way, Bruce poses some uncomfortable questions about our attitude towards and treatment of such people and about the complicity of those who give them their mandate by inaction and apathy, i.e. most of us. The novel is about guilt but not Bran's guilt: ours.
I really enjoyed this read. It's not a book I would normally have picked up, but I'm glad that I did and the enigmatic ending, although unsatisfying in some ways, begs a return at some stage in the near future for a more careful analysis. I hope we see a little more of Alastair Bruce in the future.
PS: Note that this is not a book to rush through (as I did); it's one that deserves - requires - close attention, care and consideration. Take your time and think about what you're reading.
On an island in the middle of a waterbound world, Bran ekes out a meagre, solitary but not entirely unpleasant existance, knowing that his kingdom is slowly but surely washing into the sea. It is a matter of some doubt which will last the longest - him or the island. He has been exiled there by his subjects for the terrible things he has done but, one day, an unexpected, unbidden visitor means he must return home to face his past.
I was worried that this book might turn out to be pretentious or boring but from the moment I opened it up I was hooked. It is slow moving and by no means exciting, but it *is* profoundly absorbing. True, the story dragged for a while towards the end of the first half and I found the raft escape sequence a little far-fetched (indeed some of the aspects of Bran's survival on the island were a little hard to swallow). Soon after this, however, things became deeply intriguing and it developed into a bit of a page-turner. The latter half took on an almost supernatural feel and I have to admit that much of the meaning of the ending escaped me. I think that I'll have to read it again because, for one thing, I was reading so quickly at this stage in order to get to the denouement that I fear that much of the detail, and perhaps some of the explanation, escaped me.
The drowning world that Bruce describes is an interesting idea. It's a plot device, of course, and is only intended to provide a setting for the real story, but while the story takes the opportunity to explore the concept (with some tantalising glmpses into the world's past) we never really followsthis thread and are left with so many questions unanswered.
Bruce's writing is highly accomplished, lucid and, yes, unpretentious. He paints his landscape with skill and he gives us a real sense of place. The atmosphere he evokes is dreamlike and this novel has the slightly unexpected feel (given its billing as a debut) of the work of an experienced and capable author.
The protagonist and narrator, Bran, is a sympathetic character and he remains so even as the awful reasons for his banishment become clear. He has strong parallels with many of the characters who play on the international stage in our own world; some of whom we revile as criminals or mad-men. In this way, Bruce poses some uncomfortable questions about our attitude towards and treatment of such people and about the complicity of those who give them their mandate by inaction and apathy, i.e. most of us. The novel is about guilt but not Bran's guilt: ours.
I really enjoyed this read. It's not a book I would normally have picked up, but I'm glad that I did and the enigmatic ending, although unsatisfying in some ways, begs a return at some stage in the near future for a more careful analysis. I hope we see a little more of Alastair Bruce in the future.
PS: Note that this is not a book to rush through (as I did); it's one that deserves - requires - close attention, care and consideration. Take your time and think about what you're reading.
October 13, 2015
I thought this an excellent book. It is exceptionally well written, with an absorbing story and real moral and intellectual content. Set apparently in the far future in a world in which civilisations have been drowned and history almost completely lost, the story is of a man banished from the small society he ruled and effectively created and who now lives alone on a small, slowly vanishing island. It is very hard to say more without spoiling the story too much, but something occurs so that he eventually decides he must return, whatever the consequences for him.
The real point of the book is an exploration of how we deal with terrible events of the past - whether they can really be forgotten and even airbrushed from history, whether people need to face the truth of what they and others have done and whether they are capable of doing so. There is, too, a moving but unsentimental and wholly believable portrait of a man who felt it his duty to his people to commit dreadful acts for their sake, and how that sacrifice of his humanity has affected him. I thought both these aspects of the book were quite remarkable and exceptionally well done, especially in a first novel by a relatively young author. It is significant, I think, that he is South African and so from a nation where such things are a powerful and recent, but all countries have such things in their past and there is much that is relevant to all of us in this book.
The prose is excellent. Narrated in the first person by an ex-soldier it is clear and unsentimental with an unaffected elegance and spareness which I found completely gripping. The whole book is absorbing and very rewarding and I recommend it very warmly as a thoughtful, intelligent and haunting read.
The real point of the book is an exploration of how we deal with terrible events of the past - whether they can really be forgotten and even airbrushed from history, whether people need to face the truth of what they and others have done and whether they are capable of doing so. There is, too, a moving but unsentimental and wholly believable portrait of a man who felt it his duty to his people to commit dreadful acts for their sake, and how that sacrifice of his humanity has affected him. I thought both these aspects of the book were quite remarkable and exceptionally well done, especially in a first novel by a relatively young author. It is significant, I think, that he is South African and so from a nation where such things are a powerful and recent, but all countries have such things in their past and there is much that is relevant to all of us in this book.
The prose is excellent. Narrated in the first person by an ex-soldier it is clear and unsentimental with an unaffected elegance and spareness which I found completely gripping. The whole book is absorbing and very rewarding and I recommend it very warmly as a thoughtful, intelligent and haunting read.
March 15, 2013
I found this book started incredibly well and was ultimately an atmospheric, thought-provoking and suspenseful read, though the middle section did seem to drag somewhat. That said, I'm not entirely sure what was literal and what was metaphorical so I may not even be ready to review the book. Yet. I do intend to read it again...
For me, there wasn't anything to laugh or cry about. In fact, I wasn't at all moved, despite the powerful themes. The story is, however, beautifully written - though I wouldn't rate the prose as highly as someone like John Banville - and definitely worth reading, especially if you like puzzles (unless I'm reading way too much into things, which is my tendency).
4 Stars
For me, there wasn't anything to laugh or cry about. In fact, I wasn't at all moved, despite the powerful themes. The story is, however, beautifully written - though I wouldn't rate the prose as highly as someone like John Banville - and definitely worth reading, especially if you like puzzles (unless I'm reading way too much into things, which is my tendency).
4 Stars
May 6, 2013
After a promising intriguing start I felt that the story just never really took off.
The book is set in the distant future and revolves around a middle aged man who has been living in exile on a tiny semi-barren island for the past decade when the book begins. However, an unexpected event causes him to return to his homeland to seek explanations, old acquaintances, and closure for his actions.
I found the premise very interesting but the execution slightly disappointing. There were constant hints at back story which was never really explored, with the result that I felt the book could either have cut out large swathes of the middle and been more gripping at half the length, or the themes and plot could have been explored in more detail and the book been made a hundred pages longer but with that been more involving.
Also just as a personal preference I didn't enjoy the stilted, halting style that the short, sparse sentences created. I just prefer prose to be a bit more flowery and descriptive.
The book is set in the distant future and revolves around a middle aged man who has been living in exile on a tiny semi-barren island for the past decade when the book begins. However, an unexpected event causes him to return to his homeland to seek explanations, old acquaintances, and closure for his actions.
I found the premise very interesting but the execution slightly disappointing. There were constant hints at back story which was never really explored, with the result that I felt the book could either have cut out large swathes of the middle and been more gripping at half the length, or the themes and plot could have been explored in more detail and the book been made a hundred pages longer but with that been more involving.
Also just as a personal preference I didn't enjoy the stilted, halting style that the short, sparse sentences created. I just prefer prose to be a bit more flowery and descriptive.
April 10, 2011
Okay. I have no idea how I managed to check this out of my library before it was released widely enough to actually be searchable on Goodreads. No clue why no one else has rated it yet either. There must be another version that I didn't see?
I wish I knew someone else currently reading it, because there is so much unpacking of the novel that I'm not going to do on my own. It's something that I'm reading and I know there's more to these symbols and if there were Cliff Notes I would totally cheat and read them so that I could nod, "Oh, THAT'S what that means."
I like the book. It's challenging me to think about actions, and responsibility, and consequences. I just recommend reading this as part of a serious book club (one where you actually discuss the books after everyone has read them), so that you get more from reading it than I feel like I have.
I wish I knew someone else currently reading it, because there is so much unpacking of the novel that I'm not going to do on my own. It's something that I'm reading and I know there's more to these symbols and if there were Cliff Notes I would totally cheat and read them so that I could nod, "Oh, THAT'S what that means."
I like the book. It's challenging me to think about actions, and responsibility, and consequences. I just recommend reading this as part of a serious book club (one where you actually discuss the books after everyone has read them), so that you get more from reading it than I feel like I have.
February 9, 2017
A harsh nee brutal recount of a mind and body in turmoil and exile!
Bleak and dark yet positively compelling.
Bleak and dark yet positively compelling.
January 8, 2012
The book has a promising start, introducing Bran, the main character who has been banished to live alone on an island for heinous crimes against his people. I found the first few chapters of the book interesting - how this man had managed to survive alone for so long in this hostile environment, but this was short lived. The book goes down hill from around chapter 5, when Bran leaves the island. I found it difficult to empathise with the character and the post apocalyptic fantasy world, and alas, by the end of the book I didn't care about Bran's inevitable outcome. Although the book raises some thought provoking issues, this was not enough to maintain my interest or enjoyment and i was ultimately left unsatisfied and bored - not my cup of tea.
July 7, 2012
I enjoyed the first few chapters of this book however after that I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. It was so tedious!! The narrator kept hinting at big reveals that never happened. The story should have been stronger or the book should have had about 100 pages cut out (then I wouldn't of had to be bored for quite so long). I feel bad because I think the author could do better. It was almost like by avoiding answering all the mysteries I became disconnected from the characters. Towards the end I just found Bran and everyone else annoying.
June 13, 2016
I've held off for a few days to write this because I wanted to see if my thoughts cleared, and I'm not sure they have.
A freebie that I've had on my shelves for ages, I finally picked this up and was immediately drawn into it - clear simple writing that both paints an effective picture, and leaves space to think about what it's saying. I won't say more about the rest of the plot, but suffice to say I'm still thinking about the issues it raises, and will definitely look out for more by this author.
A freebie that I've had on my shelves for ages, I finally picked this up and was immediately drawn into it - clear simple writing that both paints an effective picture, and leaves space to think about what it's saying. I won't say more about the rest of the plot, but suffice to say I'm still thinking about the issues it raises, and will definitely look out for more by this author.
May 10, 2013
I started this with an idea of what I thought it was about, and it was, I think. First person with a small amount (compared to the total book) of dialogue, is not a fave format of mine. It was interesting, but there's a lot I just didn't understand.... such as the overall message. As much as there was, there was as much missing, for me anyway. I finished it, but I didn't get it.
October 29, 2013
This book had a promising start. The premise of a town forced to take drastic measures in order to survive was inspired. The descriptions of the dying world and the main character's lonely island existence were well laid out.
But it lost its way and although the story held me I did feel frustrated, particularly at the end which was drawn out too far.
But it lost its way and although the story held me I did feel frustrated, particularly at the end which was drawn out too far.
July 13, 2013
A compelling debut from Alastair Bruce, who writes in the tradition of Defoe and Coetzee, but with little evidence of the anxiety of influence. The narrative is confident, the prose compelling. If Bruce can get better editors, he may deliver on the promise of this novel in the future.
September 13, 2016
A page turner, an easy yet thought provoking and poignant read that was mostly enjoyable. The return home kept my interest, bur the ending felt somewhat like an anticlimax. Would still read the author's next book.
October 18, 2011
Great book, thought provoking with a clean, simple style that is not bleak. I got a bit lost at the end, but that is likely to be my fault. It is worth reading.
March 10, 2025
Some very good ideas bogged down by repetition.
August 26, 2012
Quirky novel about guilt and justification...i enjoyed this one mainly because it made me reflect on the human psyche and how are memories bend to deal with a sometimes unbearable past.
March 28, 2015
Not sure. The story did not make much sense to me, and I did not really enjoy the language.
September 15, 2015
A very strange book. Seems I have not understood it entirely.
January 26, 2012
Started out great, but couldn't keep my interest.
March 15, 2014
Love it.
Read
July 29, 2014I have to admit that the book was a bit boring :(
January 17, 2015
Very promising start...then it became very strange, repetitive, and boring
June 12, 2018
A bit tough to get through. Passable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews