'Thump' by Avraham Azrieli is a thought-provoking and entertaining novel about gender and racial stereotyping and prejudice. Thump, an Afro-American working in a predominately white business, thumps his female boss and any female client his boss sends his way. In return, she supports his career. When Thump asks his girlfriend to marry him, she asks him for a vow of exclusivity and he agrees, but when he says ‘no’ and ‘not any more’ to his boss, things start to unravel. The more I reflect on it, the more wonderful the book seems. The author boldly raises a number of questions. At what point does exchanging sex for steps up the corporate ladder become sexual abuse? Can sex ever be truly consensual when one member holds power over the other? Can a woman rape a man? Does stereotyping encourage the negative behaviours they describe? Does the fact that someone is unaware that they're being abused make it any the less abuse. These are just some of the issues we encounter in this story. It’s … [Read more...]