Galgut, Damon

New York. 1985. Penguin Books. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Wrappers. 014007077x. Paperback Original. 192 pages. paperback. Cover design by Neil Stuart. Cover illustration by Vilma Ortiz. keywords: Literature South Africa . FROM THE PUBLISHER - An extraordinary novel of troubled adolescence written by a remarkably perceptive seventeen-year-old author. Scott Berry, Raoul Dean, and Joseph Hamilton are more than rebellious teenagers - they are vandals and runaways. Undeterred by scolding and punishment, they are finally sentenced to Bleda Reformatory, an institution renowned for turning juvenile delinquents into young gentlemen. On first sight, the other inmates seem to have made the transformation to respectability. But when one of the trio is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, suspicion of murder incites the others to vengeance. As they search for a killer among the youthful faces at Bleda, the boys unleash the primitive forces that lurk behind the deceptive facade of civilization. ‘Galgut's writing is powerful and intense, showing a mastery of his medium, and an ability to illuminate the deeper recesses of the mind.‘ - Fair Lady. ‘A hard core of clear-sighted observation and sharp intelligence' - The Star. inventory #4033 ISBN: 014007077x.