Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton (used)

In the city of Johannesburg a father seeks his delinquent son. His search takes him through a labyrinth of murder, prostitution, racial hatred and, ultimately, reconciliation.

First published in 1948, Cry, the Beloved Country addresses the problem of race relations in South Africa with the scrupulousness of the historian, the sensitivity of the poet, and stands as the single most important novel in twentieth-century South African literature.

'A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving...its writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling and its understanding so compassionate, that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience it treats' NEW YORK TIMES

'Paton's humanity, generosity and wisdom are apparent in everything he writes - and in the candour with which he reveals the complex social and racial alignments' LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS