Unfeeling

Ian Holding

 

Synopsis

At sixteen, Davey Baker is almost the man his father wants him to be, and almost the child he was. When his parents are murdered and his family's farm "reclaimed," the community tries to bring him back to the club, the church, and his boarding school. But Davey is on a different path. One night he escapes from school and embarks on a harrowing journey across the continent, in search of something even he isn't sure of. At once haunting, dreamlike, and realistic, Unfeeling announces the arrival of a major new writer.

Review

[Holding's] confident and measured prose rarely falters. He is especially strong on interior monologues and natural descriptions. This is crucial because the reader is given a sense of just how much of the characters' identities are forged through an attachment to the landscape. - The Guardian

Author

Ian Holding’s critically acclaimed debut novel, Unfeeling, was published in 2005, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2006. This was followed by Of Beasts and Beings in 2010. He has twice been a Fellow of the Hawthornden Literary Institute and holds a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand.