Op die drempel van sestig, met haar jongste kind op pad uit die huis, sukkel die hoofkarakter van Die vrou met nege lewens om rus in haarself te kry. Die enigste konstante blyk haar sorg van katte te wees, wat soos ’n draad deur haar lewe loop.

Onvergenoeg met die een na die ander blyplek, haar werk, die mense naaste aan haar, en veral haarself, gaan sy op ’n soektog na betekenis en ’n doel in haar lewe. Dit lei tot lang meditasies, swem in die see, joga, psigoanalise, en sy pak selfs meer as een psigedeliese
reis aan, met verreikende gevolge.

En dan word haar soeke deur ’n gesondheidskok op die spits gedryf . . .

Twenty-six years is a long time not to be alive.

Since the accident that ruined her life, Catherine has lived on autopilot, going through the motions of work and motherhood without being fully present. Trying to fill the gap, her adult daughter, Julia, is looking for love in all the wrong places, and wreaking havoc on the lives that she touches along the way.

Just what will it take to shock Catherine back into life?

From the author of The Accident and Two Months comes the story of a whirlwind friendship and the dark secrets lurking beneath it.

After a tumultuous marriage, Mary Wilson is happy in her uncomplicated life, focusing on her twelve-year-old son. She has always been content with her little family – but then she finds an old postcard that throws her past into question ...

When an invitation arrives for her high school reunion, Mary jumps at the chance of a distraction from the shock discovery, and meeting her old classmate April feels like a gift. Despite barely remembering April, Mary throws herself into the new friendship and finds her previously quiet social life reinvigorated.

But as the bonds between them are forged, Mary finds herself drawn further and further into April’s life and marriage, increasingly fearing that everything is not as perfect as it seems. Is her own painful past clouding her judgement, or is Mary right to suspect that the people she trusts most are the ones with the most to hide?

Die dertienjarige Timotheus Nieuwoudt se lewe verander onherroeplik wanneer hy sy hand in ’n motorongeluk verloor. Terwyl hy probeer aanpas by sy nuwe realiteit in ’n wêreld waarin hy reeds as buitestander leef, kondig sy ouers aan dat hulle gaan skei, en Tim voel meer geïsoleerd as ooit. Dan gebeur iets onverwags: Telkens wanneer Tim bang of alleen voel, verskyn daar ’n onwaarskynlike besoeker – ’n Europese rooivos.

Dié vreemde vos help Tim om ’n veilige tussen-in plek te vind waar hy sy nuwe werklikheid kan konfronteer en leer hoe om sy komplekse emosies te navigeer.

Vreemde vos herinner ons dat elkeen, ongeag sy ouderdom, oor die nodige innerlike krag en wysheid beskik om die moeilikste van tye te oorkom en genesing te vind, ongeag wie, wat of waar jy is. Die aflegging van onskuld is deel van menswees, en kan soos ’n sikloon
alles voor die voet platvee. ’n Tydlose verhaal wat geeneen ongeraak sal laat nie.

A gorgeously rendered, unflinching portrait of the fractured relationship between a mother and her daughter—set against the tumultuous end of apartheid in South Africa.

In late-1980s South Africa, teenager Kelelo is forced to leave her mountain school for a newly desegregated school in town, where her identity as the daughter of celebrated freedom fighter Kewame “Dolly” Malaka makes her an instant curiosity. While her classmates see her as a symbol of progress, at home she struggles with a mother who is emotionally unreachable, still haunted by the violence and deprivation she endured as a political prisoner under apartheid.

Kewame, now living in material comfort, hides a growing inner collapse as memories of prison life and the women who sustained her resurface, stirred by her grandmother’s illness and the pressure of maintaining a façade of perfection. As mother and daughter navigate a shifting political landscape, We Inherit the Fire interlaces their voices to reveal the unspoken wounds, buried histories, and complex inheritance of resilience, pain, and responsibility that bind and divide generations of Black South African women.

The Whittiers is a heartwarming story about the importance of family, home and being true to yourself, from the world's favourite author Danielle Steel.

Connie and Preston Whittier raised their six children in a once-grand Manhattan mansion. The children are now adults, but the house remains the heart of the family and somewhere they all love to return to, particularly in times of stress. But on Connie and Peter's annual skiing holiday in Europe, an avalanche hits their resort, resulting in tragedy.

In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life and discover who they really are. Benjie has personal challenges and requires additional support. And rebellious Annabelle has fallen in with a bad crowd. The future of the family - and also their home - is now in question.

The house is a refuge providing comfort . . . but each of them will learn that to move forward and face their challenges, they must be true to themselves and come together to support one another.

Op sy ma se begrafnis in die Kaap maak André Verreyne die verbysterende ontdekking dat hy 'n identiese tweelingbroer het van wie hy in die wieg geskei is. Hy het net enkele dae om sy broer te probeer opspoor voordat hy moet terugvlieg Nieu-Seeland toe vir sy dogter se troue.

Dit lei tot 'n speurtog wat hom na uiteenlopende mense op sy broer se lewenspad neem—elkeen met 'n verrassende storie om te vertel. Gou begin 'n prentjie vorm van iemand wat heel anders is as André self, al word hy tydens sy soektog voortdurend vir sy broer aangesien.

Hoe meer hy oor sy broer uitvind, hoe meer begin hy sy eie lewenskeuses bevraagteken.

My skaduwee loop los is 'n meesleurende, veelvlakkige verhaal oor die soeke na wat werklik die waardevolste lewe is, en die antwoord op die tergende vraag: Wat as?

Hyper-competent start up CFO Ellie is 46-years old and like most women, is already juggling too much.

Daughter’s not talking to her, husband’s not listening to her, and she's got a promotion coming up at work. It's an inconvenient time to be beset by mid-life symptoms: coarse hair in new places, hot flushes, insomnia, losing time, finding bloodstains on all her clothing, howling at the moon.

Her doctor diagnoses perimenopause. But it's another 28-day cycle that's taking hold. One involving fur, and teeth, and a not insignificant amount of rage.

Suddenly the troubles in her life - hot flushes, thankless family, spiralling to-do list, oblivious husband, the w*nker promoted above her at work – seem almost... bite­size.

A deeply gratifying, highly addictive and provocative read, Femme Feral is an exhilarating expression of feminine rage, with a warning: If you swallow your anger, it’s sure to come back with a bite.

Wisani Maluleke is a studying Sociology at Wits, juggling three jobs while caring for her bedridden mother and her younger, allergy-prone brother. Life in Soweto has made her tough, but she’s stretched to breaking point, until her university thesis leads her straight into the
path of the Bafokeng brothers, heirs to the feared and legendary Marashea underworld.

At the heart of this brotherhood is Mohapi Mofokeng: silent, commanding, and dangerous. When Wisani crosses his path, what begins as a desperate attempt to her research pulls her into a world of secrets, blood loyalty, and shadows that never die. Between survival, love, and the weight of her family’s struggles, Wisani must decide whether to walk away, or stand with the brothers who could destroy her or save her.

A story of resilience, a clash between survival and desire. Set in Soweto and Lesotho.

Recently widowed Halley Holbrook has spent decades building a career as a bestselling novelist. The victim of an extremely traumatic childhood, something she revealed only to her beloved husband, and the memories of which she has since tried to bury. Halley is now in her fifties and the mother of twin daughters who, while extremely close to her, are both ready to lead their own lives.

Spending Christmas and New Year alone for the first time in years, Halley decides to go to Paris and rent a beautiful house for the holiday. On the flight she meets Bart Warner, a successful businessman. Both travelling alone, they agree to spend time together during her stay.

Soon after her arrival in Paris, Halley is the victim of a crime which leaves her feeling shaken and vulnerable, and brings back the awful memories of her childhood. With Bart’s help, she manages to overcome her feelings of helplessness and despair and is determined to do everything she can to help the police find the perpetrator – who it appears is part of an international syndicate and a wanted man.

As Halley proves to herself that she can face her past and no longer be controlled by threats and abuse, her most important lesson will be that she is deserving of love and she can handle whatever comes her way. She discovers that despite the abuse in her childhood, it has left her stronger than she ever knew.

Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He’s looking for a paycheck to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So, when he agrees to be the leading man on a hot new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he’s already decided it’s all one big performance.

Until Julia Silva walks onto his property. Smart, snarky, beautiful, and off-limits in more ways than one. As the location consultant on set and the little sister of his most bitter professional rival, she’s the last woman who should pique his interest.

Julia has been warned about Emmett. She knows better than to fall for his cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and smoldering good looks. Plus, she’s sworn off relationships.

But as Julia and Emmett work together, mutual distaste grows into an unexpected connection and then… something more.

Soon, they find themselves searching for excuses to spend time together and out of reach of the cameras. Knowing glances. Stolen kisses. Secret rendezvous.

Still, Emmett signed up to play the role of an eligible bachelor searching for the one. His family’s land and legacy depend on him completing the show.

The problem is, he’s already fallen in love.

Just not with a contestant.

It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide.

As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.

When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated, yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that only served to drive Sonia and Sunny apart.

Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India, fearing she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.

Toe Marié vier jaar oud is, verhuis haar ouers van Suid-Afrika na ’n sendingstasie in die destydse Rhodesië waar haar pa vir die plaaslike drukpers werk. In hierdie oënskynlike paradys beleef Marié die wêreld om haar met verwondering, humor, nuuskierigheid en, namate sy ouer word, met groeiende ontnugtering.

Daar is die onderliggende politieke veranderinge en spanninge van die 1970’s waarvan sy net skrams bewus is en, kort voor lank, veranderinge in die dinamiek van haar eie gesinslewe wanneer sy uitvind dat haar ma swanger is. Die koms van haar boetie onderstreep haar rol as die dogter en as “vrou-in-wording”.

Wanneer Marié en haar vriendin, Hanneke, ’n omstrede dokument beetkry en lees, begin Marié se kinderlike illusies verder kraak . . .

Einde en begin is ’n roerende bildungsroman wat strek van naïewe belewing na geleidelike ontwaking, vertel deur die oë van ’n jong karakter wat diep in die leser se hart sal kruip.

From the author of the beloved national bestseller Migrations, a pulse-pounding new novel set in the wild Scottish Highlands.

Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but Aggie, too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska.

Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed―inflicted by humans on both the wild and each other. Yet as the wolves surprise everyone by thriving, Inti begins to let her guard down, even opening herself up to the possibility of love. But when a farmer is found dead, Inti knows where the town will lay blame. Unable to accept her wolves could be responsible, Inti makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn’t make the kill, then who did? And what will Inti do when the man she is falling for seems to be the prime suspect?

Propulsive and spell-binding, Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves is the unforgettable story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves―if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.

Fransien Theron, ’n jong kunstenaar, besluit om haarself te gaan afsonder op ’n gasteplaas in die Baviaanskloof. Dis tyd om finaal afskeid te neem van haar baba wat sy twee jaar gelede in ’n ongeluk verloor het, en te aanvaar dat Hein van haar wil skei. Sy onderneem
om die kloof se berg uit te klim en vir oulaas iets van die mooi herinneringe, wat sy en haar geliefdes in gelukkiger tye gedeel het, tydens volmaan te ervaar.

Terwyl sy stap, kruis haar pad onwetend met dié van ’n beseerde luiperdwyfie wat onlangs haar opgeskote welpie in die kake van ’n slagyster verloor het. Instinktief begin hierdie twee bewus raak van mekaar se verlies, en onder die waaksame blik van die maan gebeur
iets wat Fransien se lewe onherroeplik verander. Haar innerlike reis na heelword begin.

In hierdie magiese ruimte waar skoenlappers volgens die eksentrieke Tobie fêries op hul vlerke rondkarwei, begin Fransien weer kleur en vorm sien en leer sy opnuut hoe om voluit te lewe.

Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025

An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge - for readers of Patricia Highsmith, Sarah Waters and Ian McEwan's Atonement.

It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother's country home, with not a fork or a word out of place. But all is upended when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel's doorstep - as a guest, there to stay for the season…

In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel's desperate need for control reaches boiling point. What happens between the two women leads to a revelation which threatens to unravel all she has ever known.

There are two things that Ruby Dhanji loves with her whole entire heart: Christmas and anything to do with the UK. For Ruby the holiday season means joy, generosity, and warm memories with her late mother. And now she’s on the verge of realizing the dream she and her mom always had: moving to England and opening a cozy inn. The only problem, Ruby needs some hotel experience first.
 
Rashid just doesn’t get all the holiday hype. But when he meets a woman dragging home a Christmas tree alone from the Winter Market, he has to offer to help—even if he soon finds Ruby adores all the things he dislikes. When Ruby discovers that Rashid’s family owns a luxury boutique hotel chain in Britain, she offers him a proposition: she’ll help him give his young nieces an amazing Christmas if he’ll facilitate an introduction to his family.
 
As Ruby and Rashid get closer, she realizes that the great big grump loves his large, eccentric family fiercely. And when their friendship turns to something more, she’s afraid she’s falling for someone weeks before she moves across the Atlantic and she’ll soon have to decide which dream she wants to chase.

In die vroeë 1970’s onderneem die een-en-twintigjarige Jakob Koetaan ’n lewensveranderende reis van die Baai na Kaapstad ̶ ’n stad wat hom sedert sy kinderjare gelok het.

Wanneer ’n toevallige ontmoeting by die OK Bazaars hom saam met PAC-aktiviste in die tronk laat beland, raak Jakob bevriend met Sipho, ’n charismatiese leier wat sy oë oopmaak vir die stryd om vryheid.

Want Jakob wéét hoe dit is om nie vry te wees nie. Sy familie het immers hulle plaas Towerwater weens apartheid se groepsgebiedewet verloor, en hy moes ophou skool gaan om vir sy jonger suster te help sorg.

Maar die prys van ontwaking is swaar. Soos boikotte tot geweld oorgaan, word alles wat Jakob glo oor lojaliteit, liefde en die betekenis van tuiste getoets.

’n Kragtige struggleverhaal deur die oë van ’n jong man wat sy plek tussen sy mense in die stryd om vryheid ontdek.

In 1916 keer Caleb Kelly, ’n jong WOI-veteraan, getraumatiseerd en geskend terug na die Oos-Kaap. Die afgryse wat hy in Frankryk beleef het, is ingebrand in sy wese.

Kort ná sy terugkeer vernietig olifante die windpomp op sy plaas.

Caleb is woedend en gereed om wraak te neem. Maar dan gebeur iets onverwags en sy toorn maak plek vir ’n vriendskap met ’n trop wat bedags tussen die ruigtes naby die plaas skuil.

Intussen word grootskaalse landbou-ontwikkeling in die Sondagsriviervallei deur die regering van stapel gestuur. Dewald Troskie word aangestel om die olifante in die omgewing uit te dun.

Deur historiese feite met fiksie te verweef neem Bakkes lesers op ’n reis vanaf 1919 tot die stigting van die Addo-olifantpark in 1931. Soetdoring in die ruigtes is meer as ’n historiese roman – dit is ’n meditasie oor trauma en genesing, oor die mensdom se vermoë tot
beide vernietiging en verlossing. Die onbreekbare band tussen Caleb en sy trop olifante sal lesers ontroer, uitdaag en inspireer.

In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred?

The Republic of Gilead is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, two girls with radically different experiences of the regime come face to face with the legendary, ruthless Aunt Lydia. But how far will each go for what she believes?

Now with additional material: book club discussion points and an interview with Margaret Atwood about the real-life events that inspired The Testaments and The Handmaid's Tale.

Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and discovers a world of affluence, manners, aspiration, and inequality. Annie, abandoned by her mother as a child and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, culminating in a battle for her life.

A novel about mothers and daughters, friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.

Living on Chiloé, a beautiful remote island off the coast of Chile, might sound like paradise. For nineteen-year-old Maya, it's the only way she can stay alive.

Abandoned by her parents as a baby and raised by her grandparents in California, Maya was always a troubled child. But when her beloved grandfather dies, she spirals and runs away to Las Vegas. When she's sucked into the city's drug trade, she is almost lost forever. Found by her grandmother, Maya is sent to Chiloé with two requests: to not contact anyone she once knew, and to reflect on where everything had gone wrong.

Bored by the island's monotony, Maya begins to write down her story; but in Chiloé there are more remnants of her own history than she anticipated. What secrets does the island hold? And can she ever move on from the pain of her past?

Originally published in 2011.

Young, headstrong Psyche has captured the eyes of every suitor in town with her tempestuous beauty, which has made her irresistible as a woman yet undesirable as a wife. Secretly, she longs for a life away from the expectations of men. When her father realizes that the future of his family and town will be forever cursed unless he appeases an enraged Aphrodite, he follows the orders of the Oracle, tying Psyche to a rock to be ravaged by a monstrous husband. And yet a monster never arrives.

When Eros, nonbinary deity of desire, sees Psyche, she cannot fulfill her promise to her mother Aphrodite to destroy the mortal young woman. Instead, Eros devises a plan to sweep Psyche away to a palace, hidden from the prying eyes of the gods and outside world. There, Eros and Psyche fall in love. Each night, Eros visits Psyche under the cover of impenetrable darkness, where they both experience untold passion and love. But each morning, Eros flies away before light comes to break the spell of the palace that keeps them safe.

Before long, Psyche’s nights spent in pleasure turn to days filled with doubts, as she grapples with the cost of secrecy and the complexities of freedom and desire. Restless and spurred by her sisters to reveal Eros’s true nature, she breaks her trust and forces a reckoning that tests them both—and transforms the very heavens in this “brilliant and luminous” (Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author) epic.

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.

Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.

A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION.