Buried Treasure, Sven Axelrad, Penguin Random House, ISBN: 9781415211083
THERE are a small number of books that have blown me away, and this is one of them. I do not think I will ever be able to write a review that will adequately convey what a masterpiece this book truly is. The writing, the premise and the characters all kept me captivated from the very first page, and at no point did I know where the story was going or how it was going to end.
In the book, we follow the lives of Mateus, an old man running the only cemetery in a town called Vivo, and Novo, a young homeless girl whom he takes under his wing to train as his successor. However, Novo soon discovers the cemetery is in shambles as the old man has been burying the bodies in the wrong graves. With pressure mounting to fix the cemetery, as frustrated ghosts who are unable to move on into the afterlife start piling up, a dark and vicious entity also begins to close in.
South African author Sven Axelrad has written the book in a refreshing conversationalist style where he talks to us through a narrator. I just loved the narrator, who bluntly and unapologetically – with a wry sense of humour but also a deep sense of compassion – takes us on, what is, at times, an uncomfortable journey. I laughed, I cried, I cringed with discomfort and gasped with horror all while Axelrad effortlessly molds this supernatural tale into something so believable and poignant.
For me, this book took a delve into identity, death and what ultimately makes us human.
Axelrad’s debut novel is nothing short of unforgettable. I cannot wait to see what he does next. Mariclair Smit – 10/5 stars
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