It is not surprising that six of the ten Tales From A Troubled Land should be set within the framework and atmosphere of a reformatory, an environment at once the reflection and the microcosm of South Africa itself. Author Alan Paton is well acquainted with the setting that he uses,… but the "reformatory" stories are unfortunately and somewhat tediously similar in theme and texture. None really approaches the tender and almost "fey" quality of Cry The Beloved Country or Too Late The Phalarope. The difficulty that the reader experiences in these stories may be with the rigid framework of warden and prisoner within reformatory walls, at times reminiscent of Thomas Mann at his worst, or it may be in the obstacle of accepting the carefree listlessness of the Africans themselves. It is nevertheless unmistakeably difficult for the North American reader to accept or adapt himself to the position of either African delinquent or "European" principal in such stories as "Sponono" or "The Elephant Shooter". And this acceptance is even more difficult in the English-Afrikaaner relationship dealt with in "The Worst Thing In His Life".
Where the true brilliance of Paton's storytelling craft makes itself obvious is in the four other stories which take place outside the prison walls….
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