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Books > Local Author Showcase > Fiction - adults > Drama
A reluctant friendship develops between two people in an apartment block in Shanghai. Each has a secret, a hidden past that must not intrude upon the present. Beth has been dispatched from Johannesburg to South Africa’s diplomatic mission in this vast Chinese metropolis. Newly divorced, childless, and uneasy about her decision to remain in the employ of a regime she distrusts, she is adrift in her own life. Until she meets Zhao, her upstairs neighbour. Beth has heard him typing late at night, but Zhao insists she must be mistaken. Zhao – older, unmarried, and a former high-ranking Party journalist – becomes Beth’s friend, the one new friend she has allowed her grownup self to make. And then, one day, Zhao is gone, his disappearance followed by the arrival, through her mail slot in the middle of the night, of chunks of typewritten manuscript pages. Woven into the story are Langston Hughes’s letters to a South African writer about the poet’s own mysterious visit to Shanghai; Zhao’s quest to uncover the truth behind his mother’s disappearance during Communist China’s Great Leap Forward; and the story of Lizzie, a teenager whose decision to join the South African struggle will have far-reaching consequences for the woman she will become. How To Be A Revolutionary is a bold, daring and poignant exploration of what we owe our countries, ourselves and those we love.
Bare: The Blessers Game has unlocked a door leading to Bare: The Cradle of the Hockey Club and the biggest secret society in Africa. Sandton, the hub of Africa's economic power, sex mavericks and high-class slay queens, the place where dreams are made. But sometimes it proves not to be the city of freedom, while the city lights glitter, many are roped into the dark underground world of the rich and powerful. This is a season when men hold the key to every door and the weak will do anything to be part of the elite circle. Treasure desires nothing more than pure love from her Sugar Daddy but she is starting to see that he has deep-rooted, dangerous fetishes that go beyond greed and lust. She longs for a better life yet isn't sure how she will ever find that. The sacrifices placed in the hands of her tormentor are deadly. Slowly, day by day, she walks into the shadows and claws of death. Her love for materialism will alter the course of her life dangerously. But with her naive softness comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness, fear and blood spills. She is catapulted back into the darkness, human traffic and organ sales. Terrified by the reality of her own naivete, Treasure becomes entwined and trapped in a world of darkness and a terrible kind of glamour. Will she ever see the light?
Die verteller en haar man, Liefie, besluit om digby aftrede hulle lewe in die stad agter te laat en ’n plaas naby Greyton te koop. Hulle word verlei deur die blou berge en plattelandse idille. Wanneer hulle eers daar woon, word hulle egter ontnugter deur die werklikheid van die plaaslewe. Daar is ’n prys te betaal vir die mooi prentjies waarna gehunker word. Gif wat blom, plant, vrug en dier perfek vir die mark laat gedy sodat die landskap sag op die oog val, terwyl die versweë giwwe in die samelewing ook uitgespit word. Die alewige wind en vragmotors wat stof na die huis toe laat waai, teister hulle en stof word amper ’n soort hoofkarakter in die verhaal. Liefie sukkel om die boerdery winsgewend te maak, terwyl die verteller tevergeefs met die bouers stoei om die plaashuis in haar droomhuis te omskep (en tevergeefs skoonmaak aan die stof!). Die skrywer het ’n uitstekende waarnemingsvermoë en die beskrywing van die swaarkry en gesukkel op die plaas word verweef met ’n fyn sin vir humor. Die leser word ingetrek in die wêreld van die verteller, Liefie en hulle hond, Saar – asook hulle bure en die plaaswerkers.
Internasionaal gevierde misdaadskrywer Deon Meyer se bundel tydskrifverhale Bottervisse in die jêm het in 1997 verskyn. Nou is dié lekkerleesverhale in ’n splinternuwe, hersiene gedaante te kry, mét vyf verhale wat nog nooit voorheen gebundel is nie, onder andere "Die ballade van Robbie de Wee". Elke verhaal ontlok ’n gevoel van deernis met die karakters, of ’n uitbundige skaterlag. En die romantiek bly nie agterweë nie. Van eerste tot laaste krul die leser se tone van pure leesplesier.
Mangi and his fiancée, Aza, have been living together in Linden for the
past eight years. One day while cleaning their bedroom, Mangi discovers
Aza’s secret. The uncovering of Aza's lie is the catalyst to the
unravelling of their already tumultuous relationship. When Aza
eventually ends their relationship, Mangi is left destitute.
Isabella voel nie soos die tradisionele beeldskone heldin wat jy op ’n
silwerskerm gaan raaksien nie, want sy is ietwat sag om die kante en
haar hare het ’n onbuigbare wil van hul eie. Sy besluit die tyd het
aangebreek vir opwinding en avontuur, want sy wil nie meer stry teen
die knaende begeerte in haar om skaamteloos aan die ontvangkant van ’n
man se hartstogtelike liefde te wees nie.
Gaan Kayla se lewe ooit weer oukei wees na Die Ramp? Die Ramp waarin hulle geliefde huis, Miernes, heeltemal afgebrand het en nou moet haar hele groot gesin in haar pa se ou werkswinkel, Ghrieshuis, gaan bly. Die Ramp waarin haar pa, motorwerktuigkundige en kranige fotograaf, sy sig verloor het en nou nie meer kan werk nie. Die Ramp wat alles verander het. Maretha Maartens skryf met haar ervare skrywershand ’n deernisvolle verhaal oor verlies, hoop en geloof.
They say the fall is only as great as the ability to rise, and The Belters know plenty about going both ways. Growing up in the best schools and moving in the continent’s aristocratic circles, the road to carving out their ideal life is clear. But that path is rarely straight, and for the four university friends, the sharp turn into teenage pregnancy, infidelity and the erosion of love’s grand illusion delivers blows that would derail most. Chic and haughty, entitled and oblivious, Lolo, Nala, Runako and Qhayiya, aka The Belters, grow to realise that while flair is hard work, it doesn’t work hard enough. Nala learns the hard way that a trust fund is finite, but death isn’t. Lolo discovers that everyone betrays everyone sometime in life. Runako realises that the heavier the carats, the harder it is to run, and Qhayiya finds herself in a world where saints, monsters and bystanders are the same people. With sharp wit and the wisdom of hindsight, Ringfence reflects on four lives that touch the foot of heaven, fall to the depths of hell, and grow to become women whose hard-earned insights cut right to the heart of Africa’s elite.
Die verteller in Heks vind haar toevlug in sprokies en mites.
Terwyl die wêreld die oorlog in Oekraïne op TV-skerms gadeslaan,
verdiep sy haar in die mitologie van dié land – ook as skans teen die
toenemende vyandelikheid in haar huwelik.
Martha Solomons is 'n eenvoudige vrou, die dogter van 'n vrygestelde slaaf. Harry Grey is 'n gewese priester uit die Britse adelstand, wat weens wangedrag na die Kaapkolonie van die middel-negentiende eeu gestuur word. In die dorre Namakwaland kruis hulle paaie en ontstaan daar 'n liefdesband wat hulle deur die kontrasterende landskappe van hulle lewens bybly. Martha is hulle meersleurende verhaal.
Tillie het ’n heel goeie lewe, dankie. Ja, sy werk haar oor ’n mik as kelnerin in Mellville, en ja daar’s nie iemand spesiaals in haar lewe nie, en ja, haar beste vriendin Milanka ís highmaintenance, maar so ken Tillie haar, en Milanks het al vir haar báie beteken. Haar eksieperfeksie, #blessed vriendin Milanka. Maar uhm… Sy’t nou nie verwag Milanka sal aandring sy wat Tillie is, moet sorg dat Milanka en Jacques se troue gereël kom nie! Eensklaps is Tillie in ’n warrelwind van warmlugballonne, dringende missed calls en uitheemse Milankabestellings: reënbooghoringperde, en ’n Alice in Wonderlandtema, en en en… En dít terwyl Jacques eintlik aanvanklik Tillie se date was! Soos Milanka ál meer op Bruidzilla begin trek, begin Tillie bemerk iets is nie pluis nie. Wat skuil agter Milanka se monstermondering? Sal sy en Jacques ooit gekerk kom – en sal haar vriendskap met Tillie dit oorleef?
Belle Acres is a dairy farm in the district of Somabhula in Southern Rhodesia. The year is 1977, and the farm has been in the hands of the Williams family since the turn of the century. The farm is managed by Paul Williams, a seemingly harsh and bigoted man, who holds the livelihood of many black labourers in his hands. Maria, the daughter of one of the workers, joins the liberation movement, leaving behind her daughter, Angel in the care of her mother and grandmother who have been in service to the Williams family for years. Angel grows up on the farm during two and a half momentous decades that see a complicated history and legacy unfold into an equally complicated present. An Angel’s Demise deals with a woman’s quest to unearth her identity and assert her independence. In the process of self-discovery, she loses herself completely and realises that sometimes you need to be totally uprooted before you can establish yourself.
Botho Pere finds work as a miner in South Africa and he has to leave his wife, Nthatisi, and their two children in Lesotho. There are secrets threatening to unravel the delicate thread that has been holding their family together. And though some of Botho’s troubles are of his own making, others are rumoured to be caused by witchcraft. I Did Not Die is a story about the realities of a mineworker and his family.
Skaars op Aronspoort, of mevrou Smit hoor sy slaap in die polisieselle – vir haar “onaanvaarbare gedrag” en drink-agter-die-stuur. Wanneer sy die volgende oggend uiteindelik by haar nuwe huis instap, wag ’n lyk op die kombuisvloer. Moes dit dalk eerder sý gewees het, daar in die bloedkol? Maar mevrou Smit is nie ’n lelie wat jy sonder skêr pluk nie. Sy gáán die moordenaar vastrek, maak nie saak op hoeveel tone sy trap of hoeveel van die dorp se skandes uitpeul nie. Die sterftesyfer styg en sy raak al hoe meer ongewild. Haar skerp tong spaar nie eens die dokter met die mooi blou oë nie. Want sien, sy is ’n vrou met ’n donker verlede. Wat sy met los klere, gemaklike skoene en natuurlike, grys hare probeer verbloem. As die polisie te lank krap, kom hulle dalk op háár spoke af. En dit mag nie gebeur nie.
Die tienjarige Elsie, oftewel Gogga, is 'n regte rabedoe wat eerder saam met die seuns op die plaas rondhardloop as om pop te speel soos haar perfekte sussie, Riette. Dit is die veertigerjare en daar is 'n Wereldoorlog wat woed, maar Elsie se grootste bekommernis is die droogte wat die gebied teister. Saam met haar gesin moet sy veg om hulle geliefde plaas, Stofvlei, te red. ’n Innemende, universele verhaal oor familie, kontrei en die natuur.
How long does it take for scars to heal? How long does it take for a scarred memory to fester and rise to the surface? For Marubini, the question is whether scars ever heal when you forget they are there to begin with. Marubini is a young woman who has an enviable life in Cape Town, working at a wine farm and spending idyllic days with her friends … until her past starts spilling into her present. Something dark has been lurking in the shadows of Marubini’s life from as far back as she can remember. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches out and grabs at her. The Yearning is a memorable exploration of the ripple effects of the past, of personal strength and courage, and of the shadowy intersections of traditional and modern worlds.
Richter het 'n verlede, maar dis die hede wat hy ontglip. In die krake van dinge beweeg hy, systap hy die gesagte en die laspostenare, al die bakhand tentakels van die unitêre staat, Uiopa. Toe hy mis trap, moet hy vlug. Saam met Margaret reis hy deur 'n nagmerrielandskap 'n bisarre avontuur in. Helikopters, duikbote, kindersoldate, ongediertes, mensvreters… Wit leuen wemel van onwerklikhede, afdraaipaaie, en verrassings.
Semels is ’n fiktiewe rillerstorie oor makabere onthullings deur Margaret Kruger se jongste seun uit die gevangenis wat haar ruk tot die grusame realiteit oor wat met die vermiste vrouens op Jakkalskrans gebeur het. Maar haar buurvrou, Juffrou Rosemary, het ook spoorloos verdwyn en niemand sou ooit kon raai wat met háár gebeur het nie. Wie sou dink dat daar soveel boosheid op Jakkalskrans verborge lê, asof hedendaagse plaasmoorde nie afgryslik genoeg is nie?
Esther Wolmarans, die liefde van Andreas se lewe, is ’n deernisvolle,
diensvaardige, sagmoedige meisie wat deur omstandighede gedwing word om
die rol van versorger en huishoudster te speel. Volgens ou standaarde
is sy ’n oujongnooi in wording.
Liefdesles is die derde en laaste boek in Vita se trilogie. Klaskamer en Skoolgeld was die eerste twee. Daniël en Emma se verhouding is steeds ingewikkeld: Daniël probeer sy vervreemde vrou, Sally, oorreed om die egskeiding toe te staan en Emma sukkel om vir Daniël te vertel dat sy swanger is. Sal Daniël haar steeds na sy klaskamer neem? Is BDSM veilig tydens swangerskap? Sal Daniël kan vrede maak met die verlede en sy verhouding as jong seun met die onderwyseres, die verhouding wat sy seksvoorkeure bepaal het, sien vir wat dit was? Vir Daniël en Emma kom die liefde uiteindelik met baie lesse.
Wat is ’n menselewe werd as jy minder as niks op jou naam het nie? Toe die regering besluit om ’n yslike dam in die diep, dorre Noord-Kaap te bou, is die skrif teen die muur vir die vergete dorpie van Bitterwater. Inwoners het ’n jaar tyd om hul dorp te ontruim en voor die groot water uit te vlug. Konstabel Cheslin Fielies is die een wat moet seker maak die hele storie gebeur betyds. Pas van die Cape Flats oorgeplaas, word hy gou in die dorpstories ingetrek: Hoekom verafsku die gemeenskap die drankwinkeleienaar Braam Pens so? Wat het Jan Boklam een nag in die dorpsdam sien gebeur? En spook dit regtig by die vervalle ou pastorie waar die Van Helsdingens probeer oorleef? Terwyl hy van sy eie spoke vlug en die Bitterwaters van die sondvloed probeer red, is dit sy onverwagse vriendskap met die dominee se vrou, Miriam, wat die krake in Cheslin se damwal blootlê. Want water is vergifnis, glo sy. Water is vergeet. Maar sommige geheime sal nie deur die vloed weggespoel word nie. Minder as water is ’n meesleurende tragikomedie wat jou gaan roer, jou gaan laat lag en uiteindelik die vraag vra: Wat gebeur met die mens wanneer hy voor syeinde te staan kom?
In this title, Seven Steps To Heaven, this streetwise philosopher of the shebeens and entrepreneur par excellence takes the back seat as her son Kokoroshe, street urchin turned lawyer, takes centre stage. This is a multilayered family saga, a riveting tale of love, betrayal, and a search for identity - sexual and otherwise. Dark and understated, but sometimes boisterous and with the in-your-face humour that made Bitches' Brew a hit with readers and critics alike, is the engine that drives Seven Steps To Heaven to a painful yet satisfying climax.
Mister Winston is a substantial man, an honest man, a ‘good’ politician. Or at least, this is how he likes to see himself. But as his life falls apart and his political party’s hypocrisies and failings become impossible to ignore, this easy image begins to crack, and he goes from being a potential president to a man washing dishes and sleeping under bridges. With lucid prose and startingly beautiful imagery, Nthikeng Mohlele reaches into the consciousness of a man fallen from grace, and the disillusionment, fractured morals and unravelling personal life which led to this spiritual exile is revealed. Revolutionaries’ House is an electrifying novel of love, power and attachment, and their many betrayals.
Rehana Rossouw’s unique voice gives life and drama to this family saga. It is the story of the Fourie family, residents of Hanover Park in the Cape Flats during the height of the struggle era. The main characters include Magda, the churchgoing mother, who doesn’t see what’s going on in front of her; Neville, the concerned and loving but not always effectual father; Suzette, the oldest daughter, who is bound and determined to get away and make a better life for herself via a career in modelling; Nicky, the smart and sensitive middle child, who proves herself capable of making unselfish choices; and Anthony, the naive and doomed son, who gets caught up with a gang and meets a sad end. In What Will People Say the setting is everything, and the author doesn’t stint on the details of the world her characters inhabit. Readers who have never set foot in Hanover Park will feel they are there, and those who know the place will nod in recognition of the sensory details the author loads into her writing. Nor does the author shy away from the difficult issues faced by those living in this marginalised and disadvantaged community, which came into being as a result of the forced removals from Cape Town. How these issues affect the members of a particular family and their relationships with one another are the focus of the author’s close-up lens. Generously spiced with Cape Flats slang; lots of vivid and gritty description that give an authentic feel to the story; plenty of plot – the writer draws us in and makes us curious about what will happen next; and very human characters we come to care about.
This poetic and subtle novel, first published in 1926, deals with the eternal human problems of guilt and remorse, of love and sorrow. It explores the simplicity of the lonely life in an isolated Boer community among the stark Karoo mountains. |
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