What can I say, other than it has been an excellent year for reading. I have found my way to get away from it all and have been lost in several books… any genre, any topic, I have been reading and reading and loved it. Basically, if it crosses my desk, then I have read it. So here is a pile of my latest and greatest reads from Penguin Random House South Africa.
Se7en Brilliant Books From My Reading Stack
The Spymaster of Baghdad
The Spymaster of Baghdad is written by Margaret Coker, former Baghdad Bureau chief of The New York Times, and it is a gripping read from start to finish. It’s a story about a unit of spies: their leader, and two brothers in the unit, and a couple of other characters too. What sets this book apart is the closeness to each of these characters. You are invited into their lives, seeing their culture, their families, their interactions, and their growth into very different people.
The book is exhilarating and heartbreaking at the same time; as you follow the story of each character; wanting them to succeed, but knowing that there is going to be a cost. The tension heightens throughout the book to a fitting climax. Unlike other books of its kind, you remain the same distance from the characters throughout. These are all characters in progress, and you are there to see it.
This is an exceptional book. It is well worth the read for anyone who enjoys an honest, intimate story of great bravery and sacrifice in the most desperate of circumstances.
Probably worth mentioning that this book is honest about the brutalities of ISIS, there are realistic, very gory descriptions of death that would trouble sensitive readers. The descriptions aren’t in there for fun but it does hit you in the stomach. This is definitely not a game and as a true story it lends a sombreness that hangs over everything else in the book.
The Burning Girls
C. J. Tudor’s previous book, The Other People, was an excellent read, so I was really looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed to discover that this book is a very creepy, read: “a genuine psychological thriller.” All the action takes place in a tight-knit and very superstitious community. They are burdened with a mysterious past, and medievil rituals that left the town with an extremely guilty conscience and a dark shadow hanging over them. The Rev Jack Brooks has a teenage daughter, called Flo… and the first little surprise of the book is that The Rev is actually Flo’s mum. It wasn’t that important to the story, and I felt like the author was trying a little too hard to get our attention. That being said, some of the locals were a little surprised to find that their new Reverend was not the easy going country gentleman pastor they were hoping for. This story did not need any extra drama or mystery… there was loads of it between the covers already. Flo and her mum have moved cross-country for a fresh start in what they assumed would be a quiet and uncomplicated parish. There is a hint that there is something a little sinister in the rushed move and it doesn’t take long for the main players in the far from “quiet and uncomplicated” town to bring that part of the story to light, in the hopes that attention might be drawn away from themselves. Also, the previous pastor committed suicide, the big question is why? There are a number of suspicious and somewhat sinister things going on in this town and unintentionally, Flo becomes a victim of the town bully. As the story unravels, one begins to think… who is the actual bully? Like any mom, Rev. Jack is having none of it and perseveres to find out what is going on in the world of her daughter, without being “that” interfering mother. Her efforts to protect her daughter inadvertently, help her discover the very sinister truth behind the mysterious past of this small town, and that the answer to their shame may not be that far in the past at all.
You Never Really Know
South Africa is a rainbow nation and on the face of it, happy go lucky… this is the story of the happenings in the president’s compound. If you dig a little deeper then the reality is far from happy-go-lucky… and if you want to understand some of the complications of issues in the South African context, then read this book. It is a tragedy – hidden behind the bonhomie of everyday life. Honestly, I think this book should be read by all South Africans, it is a heart wrenching, not too well disguised story, of “a not very nice South African president”… or rather what happens on his compound, seen through the eyes of his coffee boy. The coffee boy is the lad in the house who is responsible for making him and his guests coffee at a moment’s notice – day or night. He is ironically called Cappuccino, is privy to all the presidents secrets, both personal and national, not to mention international. Unfortunately, his proximity to the president means that his own heart is at risk of being manipulated by the country’s most powerful person, time and time again. Cappuccino has several personal problems, not least of which is that he has been raised in the compound and suffers from acrophobia, he has no way of escaping from the world that comes crushing down around him. This is a gut wrenching look at power gone wrong from a South African perspective. A young man with hopes and dreams, who finds himself in a position that he never could have prepared for or have anticipated. This is an important read, that I fear will go unnoticed. Read it, it is heart wrenching, cry and share it.
Fragile Monsters
The author has a PhD in Pure Mathematics, I have a maths degree too, and immediately felt an affinity with the language of this book. This book reads like a memoir, it is lyrical and cultural trip into the world of Durga. Durga is a student from Canada, who has returned home to rural Malaysia to celebrate Diwali with her grandmother, Mary. The story is really the unraveling of the woman between them… who was Durga’s mother and and what happened to Grandma’s daughter. As Durga uncovers the truth about things at home that are not quite as her childhood memories portray them, she battles to help her elderly grandma who wants everything to carry on as they always have… despite her old age getting in the way of her everyday life. She does not want help, she thinks she doesn’t need help… and Durga finds herself in that difficult place, stuck between honouring her grandmother’s wishes to keep things as they have always been and stepping in and helping and causing all sorts of upset and “change.” While the changes seem small and inconsequential to us, they are enough to unravel grandma and the hidden truths of her past start to creep out of the cracks. This is a beautiful read, I felt for Durga throughout and found myself wanting to tell her that despite everything, she would be alright. Durga was going to have to dig deep and overcome grief upon grief… but ultimately she will be alright. Beautifully written, I loved the language of this book… not an easy read, but absolutely deserves to be on your “to be read” pile for this year.
The Dare
This is a psychological thriller with several twists in the tail. I am going to say that if you like a thriller then this is the book for you. Lizzie suffers from epilepsy, she and her best friend are out walking together past a railway crossing, when they have a heated argument. They are young teens, one has a secret the other doesn’t and quickly the argument escalates. The stress of it all sends Lizzie into a seizure. When Lizzie recovers she discovers that her best friend has died tragically. The question arises and the cloud hangs over her for her entire childhood: Was Lizzie the cause of Alice’s death? While the truth stays buried in Lizzie’s mind, she has to endure endless suspicion, and endless bullying. As she steps into adulthood, she is finally trying to put her past behind her and move on. She finds a job, and a fiancé and she seems to have put seizures, and the shadow of guilt away. But little twists in her “day to day settling in” start to stir alarm bells, memories keep surfacing and the reader has to ask: Are all these coincidences pointing to something bigger, something more sinister… something more like the truth? But whose truth? Honestly, you will not believe how far people will go to get their revenge, how long will they wait and how they can truly twist the facts. Several twists… several gasps. Honestly, you want to climb into the book and warn Lizzie that there is something bigger going on here. This is a great read, definitely gets the “unputdownable stamp of approval.”
Nine Letters
Another South African read, it is the story of Teddy Dickerson, a middle-aged lawyer from Durban whose elderly and very demanding Aunt asks him to mail some letters before she dies. No one would ever dare to say no to the formidable Aunt Val, and so he posts the letters away and doesn’t give it another thought until the replies start rolling in. There is no such thing as “just a letter.” For each letter sent out there is a reply, and a series of shall we call them “pen-pals” emerges. Teddy, who finds himself on the far end of middle-age has to come to terms with the fact that his cranky elderly aunt was not all the she appeared to be. It’s interesting read, especially if you have an affinity for letter writing and the law, because intertwined within the letters is the case that Teddy is currently working on. An interesting read, it was the South African setting that made it enjoyable for me.
My Only Story
Stop. Read this true story and then try and go back to your regular life. This is a read that began as a podcast and gripped the South African nation in 2019. The Podcast was the story of Deon Wigget’s search to find the man that had brutally abused him and countless other boys at elite schools in South Africa. The search was live in the media and you can read the entire story as it unfolds. The podcast was originally launched and listeners had to wait week, by week for the news to unfold. The thing is this isn’t a crime/mystery novel… this is true to life reality of Deon Wiggett, and several other South African boys, and their high school experience. Not only does the book describe the pursuit for his abuser and the crazy antics of his abuser as his story got closer and closer to him. Not to mention what happened when he found him, the media hunt, the confrontation… this is a gripping book, a necessary book, and a very chilling read.
This is not the high school environment that any loving parent would want their children to grow up in, and yet we know that the pattern repeats itself again and again… possibly because the victims typically find themselves unable to speak out or get the help that they so desperately need. How many parents have no idea of what is happening to their children, and how many children think that they are “the only ones?” This book describes fully the “gentle” seduction… signs to look out for. The silence and shame that surrounds this crime make it a haven for the culprits, while they destroy the lives they leave in their wake. Breaking the silence, is a good place to start. Open this crime up and expose the criminals… people that have been given the responsibility and authority, to raise our children, should not have the power to destroy their lives and their future relationships. I commend Deon Wiggett, for sharing his story. I commend his fellow victims that stood up and came forward with him and because of him.
In his book, Deon Wiggett very carefully describes the steps in the attack on teenage boys:
- The “perpetrator” seeks out vulnerable children.
- They will seek the child’s trust and determine the youngster’s needs.
- They will activley fulfill the child’s needs, going “above and beyond” and the child will see them as their hero.
- While this might all happen as part of a class, the rugby team, the swim squad, they will manipulate things so that the child will become separated from the group and spend more and more time with them alone.
- Over time the relationship will change to one that might include changing in the same room, taking showers, and always being alongside in the child’s world.
- Once the perpetrator has gained the child’s trust he will use shame and intimidation to control their lives. A journey that began as something heroic, deteriorates to a point of “apparent” no return, where the victim cannot confide in anyone he trusts, not only has he been removed from his “group” and supportive relationships but finds himself damaged and too terrified to speak out.
I highly recommend that you take a look at Deon Wigget’s website, not to make you fear for your children, but to empower you with knowledge, from someone who was brave enough to speak out.
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These books were given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely our own.