Red Earth Review
by Caitlin Martin
“An assassination, a stolen baby, a race to the death” reads the tagline of Tony Park’s new novel Red Earth.
Those definitely are the highlights of the novel, but by no means the only highlights. Although technically an outsider to the country, being born in Australia, Tony Park calls South Africa his home half of the year. His experiences in South Africa allow him an insightful view of the country, which he effortlessly incorporates into his stories.
Red Earth begins on the outskirts of Durban when Suzanne Fessey’s car is hijacked with her baby still strapped in it. Police in the province have focused their attention on the assassination of the American ambassador in Durban, leaving northern KwaZulu-Natal vulnerable to the violence that unfolds there. Helicopter pilot Nia Carras is called in to find the hijacked car and she enlists the help of wildlife researcher and conservationist Mike Dunn on the ground. We soon realise that something strange is going on when it is revealed that the car was reported missing before the attempted hijacking, and not by Suzanne Fessey.
Typical of Tony Park novels is the element of conservation. In Red Earth, Park focusses on the plight of the ‘inqe’ (vulture in isiZulu). In this book, Park describes the act of killing an animal, poisoning it, and then leaving its carcass out for vultures. When the birds ingest the poisoned flesh, they die and their heads are harvested as it is believed by many that vulture heads are good luck. Park uses his novel as a platform for bringing up these issues. He writes: “The Zulu called vultures Inqe, which meant the one that purifies the land. They did nature’s dirty work, clearing up the remains of kills that had provided nourishment for others. They prevented the spread of disease and did not prey on live, healthy animals or people. In short, they did nothing wrong, and a hell of a lot of good. Man repaid the good work Inqe did by vilifying and poisoning them” (2016: 24). The novel is punctuated with snippets from a specific vulture’s perspective, and such a device creates a new perspective on the events unfolding below and reminds readers that we share this world with more than just other people.
Red Earth includes an array of characters from different walks of life. Falling into the crime fiction genre, this novel is jam-packed with action, suspense and intrigue, along with numerous global and local issues that impact on the region, including crime, corrupt politicians, poaching and international smuggling, and even terrorism.
For more information on Tony Park, or his novels, visit his profile on our website: https://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=836:tony-park&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
