The Persistence of Memory (novel)

2004 novel

This article is about the novel by Tony Eprile. For other uses, see The Persistence of Memory (disambiguation).

The Persistence of Memory

First edition cover

Author| Tony Eprile
Language| English
Genre| Novel, history
Publisher| W. W. Norton & Company

Publication date

| June 2004
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print (hardcover)
Pages| 288 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN| 978-0-393-05888-8 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC| 55671200

Dewey Decimal

| 823/.914 22
LC Class| PR9369.3.E67 P47 2004

The Persistence of Memory is a novel by Tony Eprile. It was published in 2004 by W. W. Norton & Company.

## Plot summary

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The story portrays 1970s and 1980s South Africa through the experiences of Paul Sweetbread, a young Jewish South African with a photographic memory. The novel follows Paul coming of age in Johannesburg's Jewish northern suburbs, from his experiences in school, through his service in the South African Defence Force during the country's border war. It culminates with his participation in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996. The novel deals heavily with the question of white liberal guilt during the apartheid regime.[1]

## Reception

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The New York Times described the book as "a fascinating picture of white South Africa, an anatomy of the liberal conscience -- both sympathetic and scathing -- that resonates far beyond its immediate setting".[2]

Anderson Tepper, writing in The Forward, speculated that the novel "just might prove to be the [South African] Jewish community’s masterpiece."[1]

### Awards

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The Persistence of Memory won the 2005 Koret Jewish Book Award for fiction, beating out The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.[3][4]

## References

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1. ^ a b South African Jews Begin To Tell Tales The Forward. 24 December 2024
2. ^ Tait, Theo (8 August 2008). "Truth and Reconciliation". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
3. ^ Koret Honors Jewish Writers, Works for Community of Readers The Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 14 April 2005
4. ^ Jewish book awards get facelift The Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 7 March 2006

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification