by Justin Fox
First published 2011
Justin Fox feels restless as he approaches his late thirties. The seasoned travel writer has been longing for the road, anxious about sliding into an uneventful middle age. He sets out from Cape Town on a ten thousand kilometer journey around the Republic's perimeter. Fox heads east, seeking the comfort that distance provides troubled minds. This landscape holds personal meaning for him. His father, renowned architect Revel Fox, has left his mark on this country just as he shaped his son's identity. While Justin travels, his father battles cancer back home. Fox stops at remote outposts and small towns, deliberately avoiding major cities. He seeks out unconventional characters who have been molded more by their struggles against nature and circumstance than by social expectations. Fox observes with sharp eyes and writes like a novelist, weaving together scenes and portraits of the people he encounters. His journey reveals South Africa as seen from its margins, capturing the collision of different histories and stories that defines the nation today.
Genres: travel, adventure, autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir, africa
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Cape Town, Republic of South Africa
Period: Late 20th/Early 21st Century
316 pages · Paperback · Penguin Random House South Africa