THE BOOK OF WAR

262 pp., paperback, Johannesburg, 2012

A novel about a child who grows up during the 8th Xhosa War on the Eastern Cape Frontier.

This book is short-listed for the 2013 Alan Paton Fiction Award.

"A brilliant, unforgettable debut. Steeped in carnage, Whyle's poetic revision of the Eastern Cape's Frontier Wars grips from the outset and soaks the imagination like blood in sand." Andrew Donaldson in The Times

"A very good book, possibly great." Rian Malan

"A rare feat - a book whose subject is people slowly making their way through the trudge and mud of their history, but which is also a real page-turner. Makes visible in a way I have not seen before, the Eastern Cape frontier wars." William Kentridge

James Whyle, who turned from acting to full time writing in 1994, has published poetry, short stories and journalism, and written radio dramas for the BBC. He wrote the screenplay for the film, "Otelo Burning", and his short story, "The Story", won the 2011 Pen/Studzinski Literary Award.