In these fictionalised memoirs using third-person narration, Coetzee examines his childhood within the sphere of his parents' unhappy marriage, his desire for his mother and for independence from her, and his feelings towards a multi-racial South African society.

In these fictionalised memoirs using third-person narration, Coetzee examines his childhood within the sphere of his parents' unhappy marriage, his desire for his mother and for independence from her, and his feelings towards a multi-racial South African society.