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.

The novel deals heavily with the question of white liberal guilt during the apartheid regime.

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