A delightful collection of humorous stories, this book is set in the mythical village of Ystervarkrivier--"ystervark" means "porcupine" in Afrikaans--a forgotten outpost of the Drakeniqua Municipality, somewhere in South Africa. The central motif is the nine-hole golf course built by a displaced Yorkshireman, Harry Corkaby. The stories detail Harry's attempts to understand South Africa in the postapartheid years and to make money for his retirement by encouraging people to play on his folly. The action is contemporary, reflecting recent events such as Tiger's divorce, the 2010 soccer World Cup, and South African politics, but the setting is timeless: a pastoral South Africa with little racial tension. The rural setting allows incursions by such oddities as a one-eyed ostrich, a Sangoma by the name of Dr. Mamba, and the eponymous porcupine.

A delightful collection of humorous stories, this book is set in the mythical village of Ystervarkrivier—ystervark means ""porcupine"" in Afrikaans—a forgotten outpost of the Drakeniqua Municipality, somewhere in South Africa. The central motif is the nine-hole golf course built by a displaced Yorkshireman, Harry Corkaby. The stories detail Harry’s attempts to understand South Africa in the postapartheid years and to make money for his retirement by encouraging people to play on his folly. The action is contemporary, reflecting recent events such as Tiger’s divorce, the 2010 soccer World Cup, and South African politics, but the setting is timeless: a pastoral South Africa with little racial tension. The rural setting allows incursions by such oddities as a one-eyed ostrich, a Sangoma by the name of Dr. Mamba, and the eponymous porcupine.