The Fourth Boy by Andrew Robert Wilson
Set mostly in the Klein Karoo, beautifully written, atmospheric and irresistibly intriguing, The Fourth Boy explores notions of belonging and a myriad of other longings which I found profoundly moving. It tells the story of a young man’s search for his father against the backdrop of the 80s in apartheid South Africa and the fate of five hundred Polish WWII refugee children who arrived in Oudtshoorn in 1943 – a piece of local history I have been fascinated by for as long as I have lived in South Africa. It is also a story of love, loss and betrayal. The tenderness with which Andrew Robert Wilson portrays the relationships – love and friendship – at the centre of the novel – is remarkable, and the way he resolves its greatest mystery simply masterful. ~ Karina Szczurek, Karavan Press
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
Deep in the forest, a group of restless lumberjacks working an illegal logging outfit plan a winter dance that some will volunteer to attend as women; the broadest, strongest axeman finds himself caught in a rivalry with a pretty, young jack that culminates in jealousy, betrayal and an astonishing spectacle of transition. Meanwhile, in other times and places, the gender apocalypse is brought about by an unstable ex-girlfriend; an illicit boarding-school romance surfaces intrigue and cruelty; and a Las Vegas party weekend turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between a thrilling mystery man or a veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood.
In this quartet of tales, Torrey Peters’ keen eye for the rough edges of desire reveals fresh possibilities. Acidly funny, boldly inventive and breathtaking in scope, Stag Dance provokes and unsettles, inspires and delights.
Song of the Slave Girl by Ashraf Kagee
Set during the years of slavery in the Cape Colony, Song of the Slave Girl is a tale of love and resistance. Meraj and Djameela, two young slaves, are bound by a powerful love and when Djameela is sold to a farmer, Meraj is consumed by grief. Djameela fends off the advances of her new master’s son and plots her escape. Desperate to reunite, the lovers take bold steps to find each other.
One Call Away by Anne Biccard
One Call Away invites you to join Dr Anne Biccard on the front lines in the emergency department of a busy Johannesburg hospital. You’ll meet the Eye-roller, the Clothes peg, the Hairbrush and the Crackling Malaprop. Mostly though, you’ll be exhilarated as Anne and her team battle to snatch patients back from their main adversary, the Grim Reaper.
Dentures and daggers, acid and aneurysms – it’s all in a day’s work.
Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza by Peter Beinart
In Beinart’s view, one story dominates Jewish communal life: that of persecution and victimhood. It is a story that erases much of the nuance of Jewish religious tradition and warps our understanding of Israel and Palestine. After Gaza, where Jewish texts, history and language have been deployed to justify mass slaughter and starvation, Beinart argues, Jews must tell a new story. After this war, whose horror will echo for generations. What does it mean to be a Jew?
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