Grandson Saul's safe life lifts a mirror to the dangers his grandfather knew. Could he really have known Mandela in South Africa? If so, how does a nice Jewish guy get from there to here? Or how does he get back? Old Harry Wegland has a past, but seems so normal in the present, struggling to cope with trials of age and health and his place in the extended family home. Meanwhile relationships slip and slide across the grit of human lives. The journeys from peaceful family to potential terrorist, from America’s cities to small-town Africa, and from love to rejection are all beautifully drawn and described. This is the type of book that makes the Goodreads Giveaways the best program ever: I would likely have never stumbled upon this title had I not seen it listed as a giveaway (and subsequently won a preview copy), and I would have been worse off if I'd never had a chance to read this book.Īnthony Schneider did an amazing job and I hope this book makes it to the top of every bestseller list, where it deserves to be.īlending past and present, Africa, America and Europe, and young and old points of view, Anthony Schneider’s Repercussions echoes with the weight of small events that change everything. Simply, this book is a compelling and masterfully written story of one man and his family, their journey through life and idealistic struggles. But it touches on something deeper than his individual story, and resonates with anyone who feels they've never quite mastered 'adulting' or who have had to take the good and the bad that comes along with their personal ideals and beliefs, who questions their every decision during parenthood (or not, being a parent is not in any way a required pre-requisite for identifying strongly with the somewhat universal concerns and emotions Henry experiences). I don't want to say too much and spoil the journey for other readers, but as the book goes on the reader learns more about his somewhat naive participation in the ANC during his adolescence and early adulthood, and the price he pays for his decisions -both personal and professional. There were no bad guys, no antagonists, just honest and compelling characters living their lives (or dealing with the consequences of their choices).īouncing back and forth between times, places, and character perspectives, this book is essentially the story of Henry, a man born in Lithuania, raised in England and then South Africa, and ultimately fleeing to New York where he starts raises his son, retires, and grows old. The characters were all so well constructed and fleshed out, with virtues and vices alike, that despite their mistakes they were human and sympathetic. Everything felt so natural and real that it was hard to tell if this was fiction or fact. The characters, their relationships, their problems, their life experiences: all amazing.

Lowdown by Anthony Schneider