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.

Ná ’n jagongeluk is niks op die familieplaas Soetkloof ooit weer dieselfde nie. Die 15-jarige De Viljee is dood en sy broer en suster, die 18-jarige tweeling Cornél en Ragel, se lewe is verwoes. Cornél slaan op die vlug, want hy kan nie sy gebroke ouers in die oë kyk nie. Die koeël het immers uit sy jaggeweer gekom.

In die nasleep van die tragedie moet Ragel meisie-alleen red wat te redde is op Soetkloof. Dan kom daar ’n groot droogte en die Opkomsrivier, hul laaste oorblywende reddingsboei, verdor. Boonop is hul grond in die gedrang, want ’n yslike bewaringsgroep wil al die plase in die distrik op koop.

Gaan Ragel aanhou om vir haar erfgrond te baklei of gaan die noodlot die oorhand kry? Kan die luiperdman die jong, taai vrou weer ’n proesel van lewensvreugde gee? En gaan Cornél ooit lewend na Soetkloof terugkeer?

Solank as die aarde, Lucia Prinsloo se derde roman, is uiteindelik ’n verhaal van oorwinning en hoop. Want solank as die aarde bly staan, sal saaityd en oestyd nie ophou nie, sal koue weer warm word, winter weer somer en nag weer dag.

Kan jy vlug van wie jy regtig is?

Lula Prins wil oor begin op Heydendal. ’n Nuwe lewe, ’n nuwe dorp, ’n nuwe naam. Anoniem. Dan stap ’n nuwe man ongenooid by haar lewe in en haar verlede begin haar inhaal.

Kriek Kruger wil uitvind wat met sy laatlambroer, Dian, gebeur het. Het hy werklik na sy dood gespring of wil iemand dit na selfdood laat lyk? En wie het daardie verdoemende verslag geskryf wat hom finaal laat knak het?

Terwyl Kriek na antwoorde soek en Lula van die spoke in haar verlede vlug, gooi die noodlot hulle saam in ’n opwindende, gevaarlike wentelbaan. Gaan Kriek uitvind wie sy regtig is? En kan ’n mens ooit werklik van jou jouself weg vlug?

Monique and Ben Klein have been married for twenty years. They both know that they didn’t get married for all the right reasons, but they’re happy with the decision they made. They have a good life in a beautiful house, with three children who they adore.

It all worked out in the end.

Or did it?

Monique has become obsessed with being the perfect wife and mother. Her sense of self is attached to the compliments she receives from friends and relatives. From her appearance to her home to her children, nobody is allowed to see the cracks. They might be normal for other people, but not for Monique. Ben knows that he gave up on a part of himself and his dreams when he married Monique. He’s an actuary, working for a corporate, and not the artist that he longed to be. He ignores as best he can the difference in their thinking. If anyone asks, he is happy.

Their daughter Rosie is struggling with her friendships and the daunting world of teenage parties. But with a strict mother like Monique, she knows that even if she gets frustrated, Monique’s rules will keep her safe.

Until Ben meets Daisy. And Rosie meets Margie. And everything starts to fall apart.

Journalist and public relations maven Lucy Khambule is flying high in her life and career. Her book on convicted serial killer Napoleon Dingiswayo is a bestseller, Lucy is in demand for talks and interviews, and her company is involved in early stage organising for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Then comes the terrifying news that Dingiswayo has escaped from C-Max – or has he, as shortly thereafter Detective Morapedi confirms to Lucy that the charred remains found in a prison pipe shaft, along with a suicide note, are those of Dingiswayo. An official statement from Correctional Services further confirms this.

But who is the person stalking her on Facebook? What should Lucy and Detective Morapedi make of the violent and disturbing ‘copycat’ killings happening in eSwatini and the hushed rumours that are swirling around the annual Reed Dance? As Lucy and her events management team work on the historical FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw at the Durban International Convention Centre, events unfold at breakneck speed.

Is this the work of an exconvict on a deadly mission or are there other dangers lurking on Lucy’s path?

Who can she trust and how can she stay safe?

When Mpisi Mpisani travels to his home village for the burial of his mother and a visit to his first wife, he is anxious to hurry back to Johannesburg. His second wife, waiting in Soweto, will give birth soon. Giyani, his eight year old son, accompanies him.

But when Giyani disappears, Mpisi stays to search for him. He tries to ignore the villagers who blame magic for the boy’s disappearance. Meanwhile Mpisi’s city wife, Ntombazi, bears a boy with a birthmark that seems to be a sign . . .

Nadia en haar nefie Xavie is op Groenplaas in die Overberg grootgemaak deur hul ouma, Sylvia McKinney, die “stammoeder van lieg”. Hulle twee kyk terug op hul kinderjare en probeer die dinge ontbloot waaroor daar in hul familie geswyg word.

Kompoun vertel die verhaal van vriendskap tussen ’n groep nefies en niggies, gesmee deur oorlewing in ’n harde werklikheid, en hoe hulle van die ouer geslag wegbreek, maar ook vind dat die verstrengelde bande van familie ’n mens nie maklik laat los nie.

This is a story about wholeness and holes. The ones inside us and the ones that give us refuge; about the intersection of two lives from different backgrounds and circumstances, pulled together by the pain of loss.

Emanuel is a young refugee from Congo, surviving alone on the streets of Durban after being separated from his mother while escaping the turmoil of conflict. Winter is a reclusive writer whose life has come to a standstill after the loss of her young son, whose disappearance has never been solved.

As their fatelines cross, it is not immediately apparent what the nature of the pull between them is. Emanuel in particular is resistant to Winter's overtures.

It is when she takes him with her to the Antbear Cabin, her writing refuge, that the bond between them slowly begins to form. Painful realisations surface as each recognises in the other a reflection of what they have lost. There, in the cabin of peace overlooking the steep valley of storms, the stories of Winter and Emanuel begin, finally, to reveal themselves. Each must take the difficult journey back through the heart of the wound in order to heal and learn to love - and live - again.

A collection of ten witty, tightly written, upbeat short stories about people making new beginnings after significant losses (the death of their partners, home invasions, etc) set in the upmarket northern suburbs of Johannesburg, like Parkview.

It is filled with memorable characters and incidents.

The modern classic from double Booker Prize winner J.M. Coetzee - soon to be a major film starring Mark Rylance, Robert Pattinson and Johnny Depp For decades the Magistrate has run the affairs of a tiny frontier settlement, ignoring the impending war between the barbarians and the Empire, whose servant he is. But when the interrogation experts arrive, he is jolted into sympathy with the victims and into a quixotic act of rebellion which lands him in prison, branded as an enemy of the state. Waiting for the Barbarians is an allegory of oppressor and oppressed. Not just a man living through a crisis of conscience in an obscure place in remote times, the Magistrate is an analogue of all men living in complicity with regimes that ignore justice and decency.

Rocco de Witt se argitekspraktyk in Kaapstad doen goed, hy is verloof aan 'n pragtige vrou en hy woon in 'n droomhuis. Maar nou staan oudmakker Gert Malan voor sy deur . . . en die geweld van destyds kom opnuut Rocco se lewe binne. Sy bestaan ontaard in 'n nagmerrie - tot die onvermydelike konfrontasie wat op hom wag, daar op die plasie Nadraai.

One evening in early autumn, ten people drive into a tunnel through the Cape mountains – and find themselves trapped.

As their limited supplies dwindle, what do they do? Where can they go? What will they find?

Tunnel burrows deep into the psychologies and coping strategies that connect and disconnect these protagonists in a dark, tense and compelling human drama.

An urgent new novel, told through many eyes; a journey – terrific and mystical – through despair, memory, and love.

Daniel is a journalist, moving between London and Cape Town, until his elderly father passes away.

There is an unusual clause in the old man’s will: Daniel will only inherit his half of the estate once he has paid his estranged cousin a visit on the family farm in the Free State. It is a visit that will result in Daniel, his cousin and a sick young boy making a hopeful trip to Tokyo – a journey that will change all of their lives.

An exquisite, tender novel by the award-winning writer SJ Naudé.

Eugene ken van skollies, gangsters en crooks. Hy is streetwise, al lyk hy nou soos iemand uit die upper-middle class. Hy kom immers uit die ghetto se killing fields van die 60’s, 70’s en 80’s.

Maar nou is dit baie jare later. En die ou alliances met sy kindervriende Alan, Huey en Jenny ná alles destyds in Hillbrow tussen hulle skeefgeloop het, bestaan nie meer nie, en Eugene word aangekla van moord.

'n Aangrypende roman oor vriendskap en verraad.

Daniël voer ’n trekvoëlbestaan tussen Londen en Kaapstad.

Wanneer sy bejaarde pa sterf, bevat dié se testament ’n ongewone klousule: Daniël sal slegs sy deel van die boedel erf indien hy besoek aflê by sy neef Theon, op die ou familieplaas in die Vrystaat. Dié besoek lei tot ’n ander reis – hy en sy neef neem ’n siek seuntjie na Tokio, met die hoop dat ’n nuwe soort behandeling die kind sal genees.

’n Aangrypende roman deur die bekroonde skrywer SJ Naudé.

How far can you distance yourself from your enemy without losing sight of the threat they pose – or without becoming an enemy yourself?
 
In the shadow of a flawless facade, the Coal family’s dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse. Luna Parks’ marriage balances on a powder keg of secrets and lies, and results in the presence of an unwelcome guest on the Coal farm, which is the spark that sets it ablaze.
 
With the Fletchers’ sinister grip tightening on the town of Clanwilliam, the advocate emerges as the last line of defence against the forces of destruction, and Cameron Coal is forced to confront an impossible choice: will love be the salvation or the downfall of the rooibos farm, a legacy forged in blood and sweat? And will Luna’s devotion be enough to bring the family together? With every twist and turn, the stakes get higher, and the truth threatens to rip everyone apart.
 
Against the backdrop of South Africa’s tumultuous rural landscape, this gripping tale exposes the intricate dance between power, corruption and the human condition. Can the advocate untangle the web of deceit, or will the pursuit of justice and truth be sacrificed at the altar of money and influence?

Four thirty-something girlfriends navigate the complexities of love and life in upmarket Johannesburg.

Nomzamo yearns to have her own child, but her husband keeps postpo-ning. Is he truly too busy or is something else going on? Kioni is in seventh heaven when Michael finally wants to commit. But does he really? Or is he just trying to get back into her bed? Single mom Jazmine has sworn off love – until a charming new doctor arrives at her hospital, testing her resolve. And Asanda, fiercely independent and at the top of her game, is determined to find the perfect man to match her perfect life.

As their lives twist and tangle in unexpected ways, these four women will discover that love is never simple – but always worth it.

A witty, heartwarming, and deeply relatable South African novel about friendship, romance, and the messy, beautiful journey of figuring it all out.

The stories in Once Removed traverse the theatres, artist studios and archives that characterise the world of contemporary art and performance. But they also zero in on the homes, private lives, daily journeys and emotional interiorities of the various characters that inhabit them. While the stories in Once Removed draw from the undercurrents of the South African art world, their concerns and evocations are not limited to it.

“Once Removed is for readers who are familiar with the worlds of art and performance, and those for whom it is completely foreign. A reader doesn’t need to be immersed in the world of artists, critics, exhibitors, gallerists or academics to access the collection, and to enjoy the imbalances, precarity, hilarity, and possibilities represented in it,” explains Mann.

Part ironic realism, part experimental surrealism, these stories will matter differently, but equally significantly, to those inside and outside the world they evoke and inhabit.

Farah Nosipho Garda leaves her comfort zone in Cape Town to care for her ailing mother in a Johannesburg retirement village. At 27, she’s a perpetual student with no job, no plans, and a deep belief that she’s incapable of real change – stuck in cycles of self-sabotage, anxiety, and longing. But when her mother begins to slip away and the man she thought was her future partner disappears without warning, Farah is forced to ask herself: What if the life she thought she wanted isn’t the one she needs?

Amid the grief, Farah slowly begins to rewrite her story: showing up for herself, caring for her mind and body, trading shame for softness, and learning that self-love isn’t a destination, but a daily decision.

Why Am I Like This? is Eat, Pray, Love for the era of Ozempic, therapy, and situationships – witty, vulnerable, and deeply modern. A love story about coming home to yourself.

Finding your voice, only for it to be snatched away from you again.

Set in Hilbrow, Parktown, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nigeria; Her Silent Screams by Busisekile Khumalo follows the story of Fatima Farrah Omar, a mute, Muslim girl who gets bullied for being different and for catching the eye of the rugby captain, Banzi.

Falling in love with Banzi is easy but she never expected him to love her back with the same intensity and slowly peel her away from the shadows. Farrah blossoms, coming into herself and just when all the stars are aligning; ghosts from Nura, her mother’s past come knocking leading to their abduction and hell in the Nigerian jungle.

Accomplished American artist Stella Wright’s beachside home in Cape Town is perched on the edge of land and sea, safety and vulnerability, the domestic and the wild. When Stella takes an afternoon swim, she is unprepared for the drama that unfolds. She and a nearby surfer are tracked by a giant great white shark that swims close enough so she can look it in the eye, leaving the two of them deeply traumatised.

The surfer – Ben – is a waterman who paints trawlers for a living. There is an almost instant attraction between them, but Stella is married to wealthy American financier Jack Barlow, and she and her husband are preparing to leave the country.

Stella and Ben begin a passionate affair. The two of them must face their fear of the water; Stella because beaches and oceans form the basis of her art, Ben because surfing is his passion. Into this situation Jack returns from overseas to tie up their affairs and bring Stella back to New York.

Stella must make a choice between the man who has reawakened her original passion for art, and the man who can give her everything else the world has to offer.

My Side of the Ocean is a novel of great empathy and insight, exploring essential questions about what it means to live, and love, when the secure foundations of a life have been ripped away.

Hierdie splinternuwe versameling van Nataniël bevat 31 stories — 5 in Engels, 26 in Afrikaans. Verskeie van die stukke is uit Nataniël-produksies oor ’n periode van twee jaar: Ring Van Vuur, Nineveh Song, Cake Topper en Duif.

In a city that has lost its shimmer, Lindanathi and his two friends Ruan and Cecelia sell illegal pharmaceuticals while chasing their next high.

Lindanathi, deeply troubled by his hand in his brother’s death, has turned his back on his family, until a message from home reminds him of a promise he made years before.

When a puzzling masked man enters their lives, Lindanathi is faced with a decision: continue his life in Cape Town, or return to his family and to all he has left behind.

Rendered in lyrical, bright prose and set in a not-so-new South Africa, The Reactive is a poignant, life-affirming story about secrets, memory, chemical abuse and family, and the redemption that comes from facing what haunts us most.

n Langverwagte versameling van Hennie Aucamp se beste kortverhale. Aucamp was by uitstek 'n kortverhaalskrywer, en is in 1982 met die Hertzogprys vir sy prosawerk bekroon. Hierdie versameling bevat sy eie keuse uit die vele kortverhale waarmee hy lesers oor die dekades heen geraak en vermaak het. Die keuse is so interessant soos die verhale self - daar is voorspelbare bekende verhale, en ook minder bekendes waarvoor hy 'n spesiale toegeneentheid gehad het. Saamgestel deur Johann de Lange.

“This apricot tree has multiple souls that fill me with wonder every morning and enchant me by afternoon. This tree has bitter-sweet memories, just like the fruit it bears.”

If the apricot trees of Soweto could talk, what stories would they tell? This short story collection provides an imaginative answer. Imbued with a vivid sense of place, it captures the vibrancy of the township and surrounds. Told with satirical flair, life and death are intertwined in these tales where funerals and the ancestors feature strongly; where cemeteries are places to show off your new car and catch up on the latest gossip.

Populating these stories is a politician mesmerised by his mistress’s manicure, zama-zamas running businesses underground, a sangoma with a remedy for theft, soccer fans ready to mete out a bloody justice, a private dancer in love and many other intriguing characters.

Take your seat under the apricot tree and be enthralled by tales that are both entertaining and thought-provoking.