The Catastrophist

by Ronan Bennett

Book Overview

Shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award, The Catastrophist is a haunting novel set in the politically charged landscape of the Belgian Congo just before independence. At its heart is the passion... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0747260338
• ISBN13: 9780747260332
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Headline
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One to remember

I read this novel when it was released. It stayed with me like almost no other novel ever has, hence my decision to review it. Simply put, it was excellent. Ronan Bennett told his story with sensitivity for the political climate, and a keen insight into human relationships. I echo the sentiments of another reviewer in that this is a thinking person's novel. Bennett's writing style is awesome. Those not interested in the content but partial to spectacular penmanship should still read this novel. They will not be disappointed.

Overthrown by Strangers is even better!

The Catastrophist is a very good read--highly recommended. It is a thinking person's page turner. Bennett has worked hard not to trivialize the suffering during a dark page in history by overlaying a love story. One feels that he honours history while using it to show the difficulties/intrigue between the personal and political.If you liked this book, then try to get a copy of Overthrown By Strangers. It is an amazing book--gritty and on the edge. He "pulls no punches" as you ride through the underbelly of politics in Peru and Ireland which moves to California and Central America. Somehow the interception of the stories really works to create a provocative, fast-paced book. It contains the dark humour you found in The Catastrophist as well. Though there is a roughness to it, personally, I think it is his best and shows the depth of thought and feeling this writer possesses.

A story of lives drawn to conflict in the Congo

Ronan Bennett's "Catastrophist" grips you from the outset. Who are these characters stranded on the banks of the Sankuru river in December 1960 and what is their involvement in the life and arrest of Patrice Lamumba? Why is this "a story of failure"? Bennett sucks you into the lives of the main protagonists in a style that is crisp and direct. Gillespie's cynicism and and resignation is set in contrast to the idealism and dynamism of Inez. Both are flawed. And the Belgian Congo is flawed. I never felt I was being given a treatise on the political history of the Congo but ended up being as intrigued by the story of its conflict as by the the fate of Bennett's characters. He has managed a considerable achievement in marrying a story of deep personal sensitivity and searching with one of the Congo's despairing lurch for normal life. And maybe it's about all our lives. This is a great book.

Superb thriller, very moving and full of passion

Ronan Bennett has written a landmark novel. On the surface, "The Catastrophist" appears to be treading well worn grounds occupied by illustrious writers like V S Naipaul and Chinua Achebe, but this Whitbread Prize shortlisted novel is no second rate hack job. Its premise may seem all too familiar - a white journalist exorcising her colonialist guilt on foreign soil - but what differentiates this wonderfully compelling novel from others I've read is the fresh perspective it lends to the subject. For once, it's the man (James) who suffers...and for the love of a woman (Ines), who has more serious matters on her mind than thoughts of domestic bliss and love. The male/female role reversal is strangely effective and though it took some getting used to initially, there was nothing that seemed false or didn't ring true. Told exclusively from James' perspective, you ride on his emotional waves and judge his relationship with the other characters accordingly. I found myself disliking Ines for her selfishness, then admiring her courage and vascillating in my opinion of her. The flashback to James' childhood in Ireland is also deeply poignant and explanatory. Ronan Bennett's writing is truly awesome, beautifully judged and always compelling. "The Catastrophist" is both a thriller and a love story. Read either way, it's a towering achievement and an unconditional success. The struggle and emotional tug-of-war between James and Ines parallel that between the freedom fighters and the Belgian colonialists in Congo. A great read and highly recommended.

Authentic. Gripping. Multi-Faceted

An Irish author, his Italian lover, an American spy, and a host of African revolutionaries compromise an unlikely cast of characters that Bennet amazingly manages to make believable, even compelling. This is a story of love lost, art vs. politics, trust and betrayal, all superimposed on the backdrop of Patrice Lumumba's struggle in the Belgian Congo. The reader can't help but be drawn in by the hopelessness of the protagonist's pursuit of his lost lover. The characters are complex, flawed, and realistic. This is a bleak novel of self destruction and situations out of control. The protagonist is intentionally apolitical (which causes the rift with his former lover) but his story mirrors the political conflict that surrounds him.A masterful, well researched, thoughtful novel. A love story and a political novel all at once, which manages never to be pretentious or preachy. Excellent!