Review: The Inside-Out Man by Fred Strydom

Bent Croud is about to have a radical change in circumstances. A routine meandering between a run-down apartment, a bar and a piano shapes Bent’s life; jazz music in dark rooms filled with smoke in exchange for just enough money to get by. Only when a dapper gent by the name of Leonard Fry approaches the jazz pianist and offers him a private gig – with a 2 million rand payout – that Bent considers things could be different. All he has to do for this sum is play piano over a weekend; a straightforward, albeit hard to believe deal.

To satisfy his curiosity, Bent arrives at Mr Fry’s palatial residence at the appointed time, and plays his set. Two million rand richer, he prepares to leave when Fry introduces another proposition – a social experiment between the two men, which will require Bent’s presence in the house for a year. With nothing to lose, and a new lifestyle to gain, Bent accepts.

Fred Strydom is brilliantly sneaky – a story as darn and bent (cough cough) as the main character, The Inside-Out Man is as unpredictable as it is macabre and thrilling. Bent is thrust into a world of complete indulgence and murky moral grounds, and his reaction to this is a judge of his character and his sanity – how much can he keep from those around him, and how far is he willing to go to secure his new place in the world? The Inside-Out Man could make a brilliant film – think of a stylish mash-up of Gattaca and Inception, with a South African accent. This book is without doubt the best South African fiction title of the year, making the local literary scene that much more enthralling. Kudos to the author; he’s a rock star.

The Inside Out Man by Fred Strydom is published by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.