Back to the Bush: Another Year in the Wild | James Hendry | Pan Macmillan South Africa

Another year. Another season at Sasekile Private Game Reserve. And for brothers Angus and Hugh MacNaughton — another year of spectacular highs, cringe-worthy lows, and the kind of bush adventures that no one could possibly make up.

Back to the Bush picks up where the first book left off, with Angus’s weekly journal recounting a promising start to the year: fastidious Hugh is in love, running his own camp, and on the verge of a promotion. Angus is involved in a romantic liaison that takes the edge off his customary cynicism — and for the first time in their adult lives, a genuinely positive fraternal bond exists between them.

Inevitably, reality comes calling. Angus’s love affair ends. Hugh becomes stratospherically arrogant. Their sister Julia starts dating Angus’s nemesis — the insufferable Alistair ‘the Legend’ Jones. And then come the hiccups: demanding lodge guests, marauding monkeys, a blind-drunk head chef, a winter drought, a rogue elephant, and the resignation of the sterling head ranger.

Hilarious, warm, and set against the fierce beauty of the African landscape, Back to the Bush is guaranteed to entertain from the first page to the last.

Key Themes

• Comedy and misadventure — James Hendry’s sharp wit and keen eye for human absurdity make every chapter a delight, from lodge disasters to family feuds
• Brothers and family — the evolving, complicated, and ultimately heartfelt relationship between Angus and Hugh at the centre of the story
• Love and romantic mishaps — the trials and tribulations of romance in the bush, where nothing ever goes quite according to plan
• African wilderness and wildlife — the magnificent and unpredictable backdrop of a South African private game reserve, brought to life with vivid and loving detail
• Life in the bush — the unique, demanding, and endlessly entertaining world of game reserve life — staff, guests, animals, and all

Author: James Hendry
Publisher: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Published: November 2022
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fiction / Comedy / South African Adventure
ISBN: 9781770108295