Book Review – Back To The Bush

Angus MacNaughton is back, along with everyone else at Sasekile Private Game Reserve.

Angus and his brother, Hugh seem happy. They both have girlfriends. They’re enjoying their respective jobs – Angus as a game ranger, and Hugh has been promoted to Hospitality Manager of the reserve. They are even talking to each other. But nothing good lasts for too long, not in life, and especially not in great fiction.

Angus’s love affair with Jenny ends. Hugh becomes horribly arrogant, losing his girlfriend, the respect of the staff, and his brother’s support along the way. To make matters worse, their sister, Julia is dating Angus’s nemesis – Alistair ‘The Legend’ Jones. These relationships are set against the backdrop of the beautiful African bush. If you enjoyed the problems in the first novel, you’ll love the new predicaments even more. The guests are as demanding and diverse as ever, and the staff members as entertaining. The animals play their part too, and I will remember, Mitchell, the rogue elephant for a long time.

If you’ve ever been to a game reserve you will relate. If you want to laugh, Hendry’s penetrating prose reveals every nation, including South Africans, in all their imperfect glory. And if you simply want to read good South African fiction, I highly recommend ‘Back to the Bush’.