Paton's writing works on many levels, and the plot is not a simple one, but the portrait he paints of the time period in South Africa is a powerful one, and I believe that the book deserves the recognition it is finally getting as a result of Oprah's Book Club. I normally shy away from her selections, but as soon as she switched to the classics, I've been impressed with her choices of material.
This is a book not to be missed--and I am glad that I discovered it after all of these years.