Everything that Stands
$34.99
Join twin brothers who, in escaping an act of calculated brutality during the Rhodesian Revolutionary War, must navigate a harrowing journey through the African bush, where survival blurs with truth, purpose, and meaning.
Jeremy has dedicated to donate 10% of every text sold to the John Bradburne Memorial Society’s important work at the Mutemwa Care Centre in Zimbabwe.
ISBN: 978-1-923088-17-7
Audience: Adult
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 420
Published: 2023
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions (mm): 229mm x 152mm
Rodney Moss –
This is a very worthy debut novel exploring, against the background of the Rhodesian revolutionary war, the rich interior lives of twin brothers, Baron and Blaise Black, survivors of the Hunyani passenger plane crash. The text tracks their journey through the African bush on one level and, on another, it debunks a conventional form of storytelling, embracing the metamodern preference for ambiguity and paradox, in a more passionate multi-layered, and consequently less cynical mode of narration.
The spiritual and the theological, too, is understood, as a world in transition. Unlike classical theology, theopoetics is more than rational abstraction. It is a lived experience, having a form that is verbal, visual, and sensual. For Baron and Blaise, theology and the spiritual are more than ways to think about the divine, they are central to their humanity.
The theopoetic influence is discernible in the ‘spiritual’ interaction between the brothers in rapid-fire conversations, particularly on the book of Job. Here it becomes clearer that the rational is only one of the ways to consider divine-human interaction. There is an uncertainty regarding the divine workings, unresolved, yet a creative articulation that keeps spiritual discourse vibrant and relevant in the brothers’ search for God in the present moment. Thus, the metamodern, theopoetic impulse which lies at the core of the text unknowingly and ironically enlightens the brothers in their personal self-discoveries. Fewer answers, more questions, deeper discovery.
In conclusion Holt’s deeply creative and explorative novel develops a metamodern approach to artistic expression and indeed spirituality in advocating a position between modernist objective truth, universal rationality and autonomous individuality, and a relativistic form of postmodernism or contextualism. A commendable achievement.
Rodney L Moss
Retired Associate Professor of Theology
St. Augustine College of South Africa
J. Couve de Murville | English Lecturer | University of Hildesheim –
Jeremy Holt recently published his first novel Everything That Stands.
While reading my copy one question often popped into mind: “who will read this book?”
I have three suggestions.
First, those who have personally interacted with Jeremy, in the sphere of education, sport – particularly rugby, or perhaps other social settings. People who know the man, and would like to meet the author.
Second, people interested in prominent topics that define this novel, particularly relevant to Southern Africa: Zimbabwe and South Africa in particular. These are literature, language, landscape, history and an awareness of the present moment. The questions of how to overcome challenging times, of how social development in Africa should include considerations of time, place, belonging and involvement in collective identities and institutions; these are embedded in the fabric of this work. People who hold dearly onto this corner of Africa, or who would like to learn more about it.
Third, those who enjoy being challenged, and who appreciate the chance to think about difficult questions. That this is a work of metafiction is evident. There are passages of text which take the reader on a journey through poetry, metaphor and visual language, and ultimately to philosophy, opening up questions neither quick nor easy to answer. There is clearly a story to be told, a fictional tale based on factual events, but the story’s progression carries deep and profound insights, exchanges, and paradoxes of being to be wrestled with. People who like a good think, and to think about the meaning of humanity.
At this stage all I can add is I look forward to further works by JH. His first novel a page turner; a book inviting readers to think beyond words on the page.
Jade –
Jeremy Holt’s Everything That Stands is a thought-provoking novel that broadened my understanding of the Rhodesian Bush War. The vivid depictions of southern African animals and scenery provided a refreshing and immersive experience, unlike anything I’ve read before. The harrowing journey of twin brothers Baron and Blaise Black, caught in a conflict they neither sought nor anticipated, is profoundly moving.
I appreciated the unanswerable questions posed throughout the book and the exploration of themes such as purpose, truth, and conscience. Reflecting on these complexities deepened my understanding of human nature and morality. After attending Jeremy’s insightful and inspiring Author Talk, where he posed the question, Why do we read?, I realised this book helped me learn about history, experience a perspective vastly different from my own, and appreciate the resilience of the human spirit.
I highly recommend this remarkable book.
admin (verified owner) –
Lily – O1 February 2025 (For Reader Views)
Brothers face terror in African bush
Set in the troubling and turbulent times of southern Africa’s Bush Wars, ‘Everything That Stands’ is a compelling fictional story that captures the Hunyani tragedy of 1978 when civilians aboard the Air Rhodesia Flight RH825 died in a terrorist attack. Those who survived the crash caused by the terrorists’ missile were murdered in cold blood.
Penned with sharp emotional acuity, Holt delves into the complexities of human life by examining a dark chapter in South African history and is a poignant examination of survival, resilience, identity, border politics, loss, and loyalty amidst chaos in a nation struggling to heal from its shaky past. The words…
‘Reflected fingers touch mine, trace letters chiseled into the marble and at that moment, a
patchwork of memories enshrouds me against my will in a smothering of colors, sounds, smells,
and emotions. And I remember.’
… set in motion the chain of events in this novel told through flashbacks and journal recollections by the main protagonist, Baron.
As he stands next to a monument that honors those who lost their lives in the infamous attack, Baron recalls how his life spiraled into a downward turn when he and his twin brother, Blaise, board a local aircraft from Salisbury to Kariba, at the height of the Revolution war heading south for a holiday.
The two brothers are subsequently plunged right into a bloody conflict that they knew little about. When disaster strikes and their plane is shot down out of the sky by rebels, they manage to escape, but not without witnessing the brutal realities of war. They are consequently forced to confront the harsh and treacherous African landscape, with its unruly scorching sun and encroaching nights. The two must use their wits and their parents’ enduring memories to survive. But when tragedy strikes, Baron inevitably takes charge as he inwardly searches for purpose in the face of ambiguity, contradiction, complexity, and loss.
The strongest point in ‘Everything That Stands’ is the author’s use of language. He explores this dynamic by incorporating regional African dialect into his passionate defense of African culture and its preservation, which also helps to mold the experiences and behaviors of the characters. He further implores us to take a reflective look at how we abide in our nondescript insignificant lives, ignorant of the pain and misfortune that others experience beyond our own until it invades
our private and intimate spheres.
Holt’s work focuses on imbuing empathy in us and helping us put things into perspective. The text sheds light on the labyrinth of cause and effect, possible key players in the instigation of violence in nations, and the givers and benefactors of war, tackling the age-long debate of those responsible for these atrocities. Well-written and imagined, “Everything That Stands” by Jeremy Holt will appeal to anyone who enjoys history and a stirring tale that will keep you glued to your seat. It has the exceptional ability to touch hearts.