These are some of the books our books editor, Meneesha Govender, received recently. They may be reviewed later
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When the Hills Ask for Your Blood
by David Belton (Random House Struik, R270)
The day is April 6, 1994.
On this day the president’s plane is shot down in the skies above Rwanda.
In the chapel of a village, a missionary priest, Vjeko Curic, prepares to save thousands.
Near Kigali, Jean-Pierre fears for his family’s lives.
Twenty years later, BBC Newsnight producer, David Belton, one of the first journalists in Rwanda, tells of the horrors he experienced first-hand.
As he follows the stories of Vjeko and Jean-Pierre, he revisits a Rwanda still dripping with the blood of a million people. Belton is in search of those who survived and the legacy of those who didn’t.
This book is written for them.
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October
by Zoë Wicomb (Umuzi, R240)
Mercia teaches at a Scottish university. She receives a letter from her brother, Jake, and travels back to her home town in Namaqualand.
The town of Kliprand holds reminders of her stern and unforgiving father – reminders she could well do without.
But here she finds Jake a broken man, who has turned his back on his son.
Jake wants Mercia to take his son back with her to Scotland. As the novel unfolds a disturbing family secret comes to light.
It is a question that forces the siblings to question the concepts of home and family.
Wicomb is one of the most skilled South African writers I have come across. I cannot wait to start reading this latest offering.
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Never Say Goodbye
by Susan Lewis (Random House Struik, R200)
Josie Clark’s humour, selflessness and devotion as a wife and mother means she is liked by everyone.
On the surface, Bel Monkton appears to have it all. But she is lonely and haunted by a past that has destroyed her confidence.
These women have nothing in common.
But the tragedy that tore Bel’s life apart is now happening to Josie.
As both women face uncertainty and heartbreak, they form a friendship that will remain a bond for ever.