Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Very funny and ironic |
| Disadvantages: |
Helps to have a rough idea of apartheid South Africa |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Riotous Assembly is one of the first books written by Tom Sharpe, published in 1971 after his return from living in South Africa. Set during that period of brutal apartheid, the story centres on the South African police force stationed in the fictitious town of Piemberg.
Kommandant Van Heerden is a career policeman who has risen through the ranks to his present position. He is a keen enforcer of South African law and order and, as chief of Piemburg’s konstabulary, is keen that that law and order is maintained in the town, thereby ensuring peace and tranquillity for it’s (white) citizens. Despite being an Afrikaner he holds a tremendous respect for the English and dreams of becoming a true English gentleman. His second in command, Lieutenant Verkramp, is a staunch Afrikaner with strong religious convictions, such as holding the belief that dancing is sinful. He also serves as the local officer of the dreaded BOSS, the Bureau of State Security. People who come to the interest of BOSS have been “known to fall out of tenth story windows” at it’s Johannesburg headquarters, therefore Verkramp has a sinister command of his own within the police station. At the other end of the chain of command is Konstabel Els, an individual of undetermined parentage, whose unprofessional conduct includes violence and sexual contact with women of the black community.
All is well for the Kommandant until the day the elderly Miss Hazelstone telephones to report that she has just shot her black cook dead. The Kommandant is perturbed. Miss Hazelstone is the doyen of the English community in Piemburg. She comes from a privileged background, lives in a large house and is rude and imperious. She has little respect for authority, including the police. She is everything that the Kommandant believes the true Englishman should be.
The Kommandant hastens over to Miss Hazelstone’s house to convince her that she did not murder her cook, desperate to maintain her dignity and authority. However, he is horrified when she further admits that her cook was her lover and that they indulged in a fetish for rubber. From here on the situation rapidly gets out of control for the Kommandant, particularly with Verkramp and Els becoming involved. Miss Hazelstone’s brother is arrested for murder with the Kommandant hoping to have him executed in order that he may have his English heart transplanted in to his body; the Kommandant finds himself being discovered by his men in a kinky rubber nightie and hood, while other mishaps and mayhem follow as a result of police bungling. Meanwhile Miss Hazelstone, having been removed to the local mental institute and imposing her will upon the staff, organises a battle re-enactment of the Zulu war by the inmates for the benefit of local dignitaries, resulting in carnage and chaos.
The plot sounds grim, which in places it is. However, Tom Sharpe’s narrative is so hilarious it had me almost crying with laughter in places. The characters are unbelievably absurd while the events and their consequences are so extreme and over the top they turn the book from a potential horror in to the classic comedy it is.
This is a very clever piece of writing, as skilfully crafted as you will get. The storyline rattles along at a rollicking pace while the narrative cuts like a knife. Despite the comedy and laughs you are made fully aware of the absurdity and cruelty of the apartheid system. You are drawn to the fact there are two separate communities within the white population, the English and the Afrikaners, with their different outlooks, perspectives and attitudes. The whole book is written from the aspect of a white in South Africa, the blacks rarely being referred to, except when casually referred to as if they were a lower form of life.
The book is a farce with a dark underbelly. The main characters are grotesque parodies and the events that unfold as the book progresses are ludicrous yet not improbable. Underneath, though, lies the dark undercurrent of a cruel repressive system that was apartheid in South Africa.
Some people might find reading this book initially hard to read. Certainly it can be difficult getting used to Afrikaner names and spelling, such as the word Konstabel. However it really is worth persevering as once you get your head round these differences the plot and narrative will take you over. The first time I read this book I read it through the night, I was that unable to put it down.
The sequel to this book, Indecent Exposure, is far more hilarious but Riotous Assembly is a must for first time readers of Tom Sharpe. If you do come across Indecent Exposure you do need to read Riotous Assembly first.
