Paton's second novel portrays a police lieutenant's struggle with his conscience when he violates strict South African law concerning relationships between Blacks and whites.
Both Cry, the Beloved Country and Paton’s next novel, Too Late the Phalarope (1953), exhibit a characteristic balanced, economical, rhythmic prose, which has, especially in dialogue, a singing psalmodic tone. The Diepkloof period provided additional material for some short stories. During that period of his life, Paton became involved in South African politics. In 1953 he helped found the Liberal Party of South Africa to offer a nonracial alternative to apartheid; Paton was its national president until its enforced dissolution in 1968. His active opposition to the policy of apartheid led to confiscation of his passport from 1960 to 1970.
