Review: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

For Deka’s whole life, she has been raised according to the principles of Oyomo; that a woman’s place is to serve and honour men. Yet on the day of the Ritual of Purity, in which Deka will be cut to demonstrate the purity of her blood, everything changes. Instead of the crimson life force that flows through the veins of the other village girls; Deka’s blood is liquid gold. She is Unpure, and the sentence for this crime is death, because the Unpure are descended from demons.

Only Deka doesn’t die. Again and again, the elders try to end her life, yet her spirit and body remain intact. Just as the elders think they have discovered the way to truly kill her, she is saved by an unexpected source; an emissary of the emperor.

Instead of death, Deka must join an army of girls like her to fight the worst threat that the land has ever faced. And the emperor is willing to sacrifice them all to win.

But when training starts, Deka realises that there’s more to her new position, and the army itself, than she could ever have expected. What she learns shakes the very foundations of her world.

The Gilded Ones satisfies every possible craving a fan of Young Adult could have. Namina Forna has given us a glorious mythology with horrific yet strangely familiar limitations and social ills. We have a love story that is like no other, a generous dose of magic and intrigue, and even a range of action sequences. All of this has been woven together and perceived through a fantastic (literally) lens to make it pure magic. Once you start reading, you cannot stop. The characters are too enticing, the sub plots too arresting, and the writing too convincing and powerful to refuse.

The Gilded Ones will impress more than just YA fans – it will woo lovers of myth and legend, the seekers of fantasy, and those who want a peek of realism through struggle and inequality. It is superb.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is published by Usborne, AND IS AVAILABEL IN South Africa from Penguin Random House South Africa.

Review: Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

Nell has tried to stay out of sight her whole life. With a rare skin condition that has her peppered in spots, she’s learned to avoid the eyes in her local village. Until now. When the village hosts Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders, she catches a glimpse into a strange new world of performers and self-confessed oddities. But it isn’t until her father sells her off to the troupe that she really learns about circus life.

For the first time, Nell is using her appearance. With Jasper’s innovative thinking, a gorgeous outfit, and a little practice, she evolves from a flower-picking recluse into one of England’s top performers, even catching the eye of the Queen herself.

But Nell’s moment in the spotlight is under threat, because Jasper has been relying a little too heavily on loan sharks and promises to make his circus the greatest show in the country.

At the same time, Nell learns to navigate the minefields of love and friendship, as her world becomes more vibrant – and more dangerous – than she ever could have imagined.

Circus of Wonders is a truly thrilling book that hits all the right boxes, by offering the reader a little bit of everything. It has mystery, suspense, drama, romance, a brilliantly-written narrative, and a dash of magic. With an insight into the workings of Old England, Elizabeth Macneal has also managed to reimagine the concept of wonder – presenting a tradition as old as the circus in a fresh and delicious new way. But there’s more to this book than just a good circus story – there is an underlying social commentary about the dangers of judgement, as well as the unbreakable and often intimidating bonds between lovers and family. Circus of Wonders is deep, and it’s beautiful. What more could you want?

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal is published by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

 

Review: The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde

After a lifetime and career spent protecting nature from humanity’s selfishness, Signe realizes that she’ll never come to terms with a changing world in which each generation robs its children of their natural surroundings. But she can try to make a difference. With that in mind, she decides to undertake a final act of protest. Despite being nearly 80 years old, she sets out on a perilous solo journey across the ocean, to interrupt the destruction of a glacier near her childhood home. But as she contemplates the dwindling ice, she can’t escape her memories of the immense love she lost, the family that rejected her, and the childhood she so desperately wanted to escape. Now, armed with her boat and her determination, she seeks to make a change.

Two decades later, and humanity’s biggest fears have been realised: the environment has been destroyed. As a drought spreads across the globe, David and his family have no choice but to flee their home in search of salvation and water. Yet in the panicked moments of their departure, David loses his wife and son, and all that remains of his former life is his young daughter, Lou. As conditions worsen and the prospect of doom creeps ever nearer, the pair discover an abandoned boat, and with it, hope.

Despite not quite hitting the 400-page mark, The End of the Ocean is an expansive novel that hides a universe between its covers. Between a heartfelt call for humanity to ease its selfish destruction of the environment and the blossoming of hope and love in two families, Maja Lunde has presented a terrific escape. Not only is this book well-written, but it is engaging, poetic, and poignant. In fact, it’s hard to consider the earth’s future as it is represented in this book as ‘dystopian’. The dried-up husk of an earth that Lunde warns of is already a growing reality, making The End of the Ocean less a work of heart-racing fiction and more of a dooming prediction. To prevent our doom, we must change, and this book is another in a long and vital line of literature that begs us to do just that.

The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde is published by Scribner, a Simon and Schuster company, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi

May Owens always considered herself a goodly girl, and yet she is in prison. Orphaned, starving, and without options, the young woman’s hunger forced her hand. And while her fellow cellmates are sentenced to various grisly punishments, her crime of stealing a loaf of bread receives an entirely unexpected punishment, and the price is a heavy burden indeed.

For her crime, May is sentenced to be a Sin Eater; a woman cast out by the society that branded her to take upon her body the sins of the dying. For each sin named, there is an accompanying food that must be eaten before the dying can return top the Maker. Yet the reward for the Sin Eater’s task is thankless – they may not be touched, spoken tom, or looked out – they are the incarnation of sin, and they are feared and hated throughout the land.

Despite the awful punishment, and the loss, confusion and anguish which follow it, May tries her best to adjust to her new life under the silent and hostile gaze of the town. However, when the new Sin Eater accidentally uncovers a royal scandal that could change the very nature of her life, she must decide the best path to take; break her vow and speak up, or maintain her silence and her duty while people die.

There’s something darkly seductive about The Sin Eater. Between lines of dancing prose dwells a story that’s as shocking as it is intriguing, in which the world as we know it has been tweaked and shaped into a dazzling story about life’s unseen horrors. Campisi presents a belief system that it skewed, and a royal bloodline plagued by dissent, jealousy and murky secrets. Here, history is unreliable, witchcraft is blossoming, and religion is a many-faceted monster that causes as much good as it does pain. And yet the system remains unchallenged, fostering a sense of discomfort which builds throughout the narrative, culminating in well-earned pity for the protagonist, as well as a roaring anger at the multiple injustices of the world – both fictional and not.

The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi is published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan MacMillan.

Review: The Harpy by Megan Hunter

Lucy’s world is rooted in her home and her family. A wife and mother of two young boys, hers is world of repetition, duty, and care. So, when she receives a call telling her that her husband is cheating on her with a colleague, her carefully crafted bubble bursts, and her life is turned upside down. However, there is a glimmer of hope. In an attempt to save their marriage, Lucy is granted permission to hurt her husband, three times.

As the couple begins their journey along the road to healing, Lucy cannot help but reflect on her marriage and herself, as she is slowly taken over by a desire to hurt the man she loves most in the world. As the months creep by and three strikes are delivered, she feels herself becoming unmoored, and her mind and body transforming into something bitter and sinister, fuelled by dark desires and stark realisations.

The Harpy is nothing short of a revelation. The writing is so emotional and persuasive that you feel yourself being sucked into a dark cloud, becoming feral and enraged along with the narrator. To read anything by Megan Hunter is to be drawn directly into her mind’s eye, to be given a new perspective of the seemingly mundane. Hunter’s mastery of prose is so impressive that small snippets will flit across your mind when least expected, creating a vivid second world that hides in the shadows of your own. Hunter seems to weave a spell through each penned word, snaring the reader, and shrouding us in a cocoon of wild thoughts and unchecked actions.

Megan Hunter makes me pity authors who’ve yet to develop a signature style, and her prose is so unsettling it has a nightmarish quality of the eerily unreal – I cannot give higher praise for her ability to create something astonishing out of a handful of letters. Each sentence is a gift, a flower which blooms when read. So please, read them.

The Harpy by Megan Hunter is published by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.    

Review: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Lydia was happy. She was surrounded by things she loved – her husband, Sebastian, their son, Luca, and her book store. Then, at a family barbecue, everyone she loved was taken from her – her entire family brutally massacred with the exception of Luca. And all because her husband wrote an expose on a drug cartel.

Now, Lydia needs to escape not only her hometown of Acapulco, but her country – as long as she’s alive, she’ll be hunted by the cartel. But how do you escape a country when the cartel has everyone on their payroll – from the police to the staff at the check-in counters at the airport? Lydia and Luca have no option but to flee as migrants, trusting their lives to a coyote and the vast desert that lies between them and freedom – between Mexico and the USA.

American Dirt is an incredibly moving and gripping story – not least because of Cummins' grace at describing the macabre realities of Mexican migrants, but at her ability to highlight the plight of millions of people who are otherwise ignored and invisible. Through the power of the pen, Cummins illuminates just a fraction of the deplorable state of immigration for migrants, and yet just this small piece is enough to leave you reeling.

Not only is American Dirt well-written, with flowing prose made all the more poetic with tasteful insertions of Spanish, but it is a poignant social commentary that speaks to the strength of character of people who have nothing to lose; who have had everything taken from them, and yet persevere. This book is a testament to the cruelties we inflict on each other, while at the same time, emphasizing the enormous strength that can be found if only we are allowed to hope.

Reading this book will make you uncomfortable, outraged, and shocked, yet grateful that so much is presented in such a beautiful package. In a world of complacency and fake news, this is exactly what we need.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is published by Tinder Press and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Rawlins is studying gaming, but his heart lies with stories. An avid reader, he devours the worlds created by others; flitting between worlds and being presented with the magical. However, there was no way he could imagine that an old, unmarked book he finds in the university library could literally change his life forever. In finding this book, Zachary has been thrust into the no-longer secret world of literary espionage. While there are those who seek to destroy Zachary’s discovery and protect the secrets it may unlock, there are others who wish to welcome him into the unknown. The choice is his alone.

As Zachary begins to understand the significance of the book, and the people in search of it, he is introduced to a home he never knew he needed – a hidden world where books and stories are everywhere; protected and nurtured, so that they may never be lost.

The Starless Sea is a truly unique and unusual book, flitting between multiple narratives and times, with sections of smaller stories woven into a grand tapestry that is as impressive as it is astonishing. To find yourself between the pages is to literally be in the maze of stories Morgenstern describes. At times overwhelming and almost confusing, this book is so carefully detailed, with such an intricate plot, that it runs the very serious risk of creating literary fatigue in the reader. Truly, this book ruined me for some time after I finished it – I struggled to be content with any other book, with a good ol’ linear narrative with cause and effect and a signposted narrative that plays out as it should. The Starless Sea does not follow convention, and this freedom and unexpected narrative make this book nothing short of an actual masterpiece. The Starless Sea feels more like a dream or memory than a novel – you dive into it wholeheartedly and without regret. Morgenstern’s ideas are so vivid, so colourful and playful and unexpected, that they feel as real as the world outside of their pages, and that alone is an accomplishment. I suspect that Morgenstern employs magic to assist her with her plots; they’re that good. Truly, I pity the titles which will try to hold their own against The Starless Sea – Morgenstern has created a literary heavyweight without an equal. This book is the definition of literacy success.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is published by Harvill Secker, an imprint of Vintage, a Penguin Random House company.

Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

For Shana, life on a small farm in Pennsylvania is a study in routine, with each day fixed in its mundane patterns. However, one morning in June, Shana’s little sister Nessie isn’t in bed – she’s outside, in her pajamas, walking determinedly down the street. Despite her best efforts, Shana cannot wake or stop her sister. In fact, Nessie is soon joined by more walkers, and when the local police attempt to halt their progression, one of the afflicted literally explodes.

As the flock of walkers slowly continues to grow, and with the horrific consequences if restrained, the local police and paramedics decide to step in. The CDC, unsure of what will happen to the ever-growing flock, decides to follow the group; hoping to be able to perform tests and understand the strange force controlling the wanderers.

Apart from mystifying scientists and doctors, the flock piques the interest of a few other groups – from white supremacists to religious fanatics, everyone seems to have an explanation for the seemingly mystical movement of this group of people. As if this phenomenon wasn’t enough, a deadly new fungal pathogen has been discovered, with a high mortality rate and exceptional speed of infection. While the White Mask disease spreads, with no apparent cure, connections begin to be drawn between the outbreak, and the presence of the walkers. This ignites pre-existing tensions, which, together with mass infections, turns the world on its head.

Traditionally, larger tomes (and especially of the science fiction and fantasy genres) tend to set out their plot – at least partly – in the introductory pages, and spend the rest of the time zooming in on the story – padding it with great quantities of detail and peppered with guest characters and tricks that make it seem as though the narrative is rocketing along at a happy pace. However, such stories become…. Boring. Stagnant. Predictable. Not so with Chuck Wendig, who has offered a mammoth book that features a unique manner of constant evolution, while simultaneously providing greater detail as it progresses. This double-feature approach makes Wanderers exciting, unpredictable, and the home of multiple clever connections that strengthen an already brilliant plotline. To read Wanderers feels like watching a series – smartly connected segments on the same timeline that make the plot flexible, mobile, and entertaining.

Chuck Wendig has really penned an epic book, of epic literal and fictional proportions. Through the slow but steady merging of multiple smaller plots into a fantastic and, frankly, almost genius grand theatre of the meeting point of science and science fiction.

This careful and delicate blurring between hard core science – from epidemiology and physics, to the borderless imaginings of science fiction make for a believable, thought-stoking adventure that’s a ride from the first page. If clever writing and a brilliant plot aren’t enough to win you over and convince you to delve into this 782-page delight, then let it be the myriad content. From topics such as religion, science, politics, ethics, biotech, romance, pop culture, fanaticism, futurism, and some good ol’ apocalyptic dystopia – this book literally has something for everyone.

Allow me to remind you that – perhaps apart from its weight – there is nothing to fault in this book. That’s a rare statement for a reviewer to make, I assure you. As such, I’d advise you read Wanderers now, both to satisfy that ever-present literary itch experienced by seekers of stories, and to get into the world before it hits the screen of some flashy Netflix series – because this book is destined for greatness, and you don’t want to miss its ascent.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig is published by Solaris, an imprint of Rebellion Publishing, and is available in South Africa by Jonathan Ball Publishers

Review: The Colorado Kid by Stephen King

On the small island town of Moose-Lookit, a reporter from the Boston Globe hurries away from an unfulfilling interview with local journalists. Commissioned to write a periodical about unexplained mysteries, he had high hopes for far-fetched stories and hair-raising tales. Sadly, he left without the scoop he expected, although that’s not to say the island hasn’t seen its fair share of mysteries. Behind the boring tales regurgitated for the umpteenth time by the local journalists, there lies a closely guarded story of true mystery. The Colorado Kid, a dead man found on the beach by local youths, was a case that remained unexplained for decades; a story composed entirely of unknowns and ‘what if’s, and becoming fodder for the imagination.

It is worth noting that The Colorado Kid was the inspiration for Haven, a TV show that epitomizes the odd world created by Stephen King. If, like me, you reasoned that you’ll read this to get a behind-the-scenes, sneak peek at the workings behind the show, a glance at its roots – you will, like me, be left with a sense of lacking. However, that is not to say that the book is not a hit in its own right.

A quick and perplexing read, The Colorado Kid deviates from King’s usual world-building; it hits you like a punch to the solar plexus. The particular genius of this book is no doubt what 90% of readers will find the most frustrating aspect, and as such, proves a huge risk for the King of horror, who has crafted his career on explaining the most bizarre circumstances. Ghosts, mind-readers and Lazarus pets are thus part of the natural order in King’s world; they have a place. The Colorado Kid is a jarring and taunting exception. In a style reminiscent of Hemingway’s anticlimaxes, The Colorado Kid is the antithesis of an ending with a bang. It is strangely pleasing to the reader who recognizes that not all questions can be answered – a delicious mockery of society’s obsession with conclusions. Not all things in life can be neatly filed away, and this is one of the stories that refuses to be put to bed. What it certainly does do is put the reader to a test – will you relish its cleverness and satire, or disregard it as a frustrating narrative that ends with no point or period?

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King is published by Hard Case Crime, a division of Titan Books, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney

Lord Rodermere began writing the curse when he felled the first tree, yet he was only able to read it after half the forest had fallen. As the trees disappeared, Rodermere disturbed more than just the earth – the fury of the Sorceress was unleashed with each saw tooth. A faerie boy will be born to you, whose beauty will be your death. Though he scoffed at this proclamation, he is tempted in the forest by a beautiful maiden, and disappears. A decade later, his wife finds a basket containing the most beautiful baby boy she had ever seen, announced as her husband’s, yet the latter has never returned.

Later, as his wife is to marry anew, Lord Rodermere returns, and amid his arrogance lies the curse. The sorceress returns to witness the murder she foretold, and is unsettled to discover that Rodermere’s son, Beau, is far from the gorgeous but ghastly tool she predicted. Here lie grace, passion and humility, and intervention is necessary to install the murderous rage Beau needs for the task. Unaware of her plans, Beau is occupied by the arrival of Randa; an unseen voice he comes to call his little soul.

Cleverly representing modern themes against old-school artistry, The Beauty of the Wolf marries traditional fairy tales with modern fantasy, creating an impressive, polished story with depth and emotion. This ode to Beauty and the Beast is dark, seductive, and delicious – with prose akin to poetry and vivid and tenebrous imagery, this story is a feast for the imagination. It has added layers of depth, tension, and desperation that are impossible to imagine in the original fairy tale, making it more of an evolution from the story than a retelling. Nevertheless, it delights the inner child through wonder and magic – a dash of witchcraft, a hint of madness, a passionate affair, and a love that transcends form – what’s not to love?

The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney is published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is a notoriously witty comedian whose international success has led South Africans to claim him as a figurehead; a hero. However, his position in South Africa was not always as clear cut. For most of his youth, Trevor Noah was an outsider – different. A mixed raced child born to a Xhosa mother and Swiss father in the height of Apartheid, he often felt that he was never quite white enough, nor black enough, to fit in.

Born a Crime is more than a coming of age story or memoir – it’s an explanation of how circumstances can shape us, and how the world is so much more than what lies beyond our front door. In telling the story of his youth, Noah places a concept as large and foreign as Apartheid into relatable terms, a vital point of reference for today’s youth. Despite the immense setbacks that challenged his family financially, socially and economically, Noah is adamant that his life was no exception to a rule, that his circumstances were no better or worse than hundreds of other families. Born a Crime is an explanation of Noah’s history beautifully crafted in a background of South Africa’s history. This book should be recommended reading for all high school students; it is sharp, poignant, honest, and highly entertaining and thought-provoking.

This book was not something I would usually pick up to read, but I am incredibly glad I did. I have gained respect for a man I have never met, and for a generation of people that has won the right to share their stories through damn hard work, determination, and dreaming big. Noah’s book and the experiences recounted within it make you feel as though despite a climate that can be fueled by racial and political divisions, love for family and respect for others will always be cemented into our various cultures.

Despite his name on the cover, however, I cannot help but feel that Born a Crime is actually an ode to a powerful woman. Apart from marveling at Noah’s maturity, integrity and honesty (including in his retellings of crime and accidental arson), after finishing Noah’s book I was filled with a longing to meet his mother. The mother from his childhood is vibrant, strong, determined and hard-working. She is fearless, smart and loving, and shaped his life and his outlook with such love and care that she could be a role model to any South African, but particularly to the women of our country.

Thank you, Trevor Noah, for telling your story and that of your family with such style and insight, and thank you Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, for inspiring him to do it.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is published by Pan Macmillan South Africa.

Review: The Woman of the Stone Sea by Meg Vandermerwe

Hendrik lost his wife. Five years ago, she walked into the ocean and disappeared. Despite this, he waits for her return, refusing to believe that she is dead, or has left him. With alcohol and his dog as his only companions, Hendrik’s ordered life as a fisherman soon spirals into one filled with hangovers, darkness and painful memories.

Despite his self-imposed misery, Hendrik’s lonely pining is punctuated by the arrival of an unexpected woman, or half woman, given that where her legs should be, she has a brilliant silver tail. Hendrik has found an injured mermaid. Unsure of what to do with the woman, but convinced that she has been sent by his wife, Hendrik takes the woman home to recover. Her presence brings good fortune, and while he revels in the change of affairs, he scrambles to keep her secret. The more he prospers, the heavier she weighs on his conscious, until keeping her may require a greater price than he can afford.

South African literature often has a primary focus on politics and race, and The Woman of the Stone Sea is no different. However, these concepts are dealt with so well, and cleverly interspersed with mystery, heartbreak and mythology that it is an overall delightful read. Meg Vandermerwe has proven that she is capable of handling a myriad of serious topics in a playful but heart-churning manner, with characters that cement themselves into the reader’s heart, and demand to be heard.

The Woman of the Stone Sea is penned in a hypnotic, beautiful prose that is broken only but occasional dives into Afrikaans which can be somewhat distracting, and are bound to leave international readers somewhat baffled. Despite this, there is no denying that this story is richly populated with imagination, creativity and flair. A testament to multicultural stories, this book will leave you wanting more.

The Woman of the Stone Sea by Meg Vandermerwe is published by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.

Review: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

In the small Californian university town of Santa Lorna, something is brewing. When Kara returns from a night out and won’t wake up in the morning, she’s taken to hospital. Later, several of her friends also fall victim to deep sleep from which they cannot be roused, and panic spreads. Soon, the illness spreads beyond the confines of the university, and people all over the town are collapsing into deep, prolonged sleep, from which no amount of pleading or medication can rouse them.

While the town is slowly drawn under the spell of slumber, speculation abounds about the cause of the mysterious disease, from those not yet affected and the rest of the country. However, when quarantines are implemented, with no further movement into or from Santa Lorna, the world can only watch.

The Dreamers is an incredibly original plot in which an inexplicable scenario is unfolded and gently probed in a careful and dream-like manner. Through gorgeous prose akin to a collection of poetry, Karen Thompson Walker reminds us that the unknown can house more than fear and doubt – it can shelter beauty and possibilities such as we could never imagine.

In addition to an original plot is a discussion on the differences between our waking and dreaming lives, and which has more sway over our emotions and experiences. The dual nature of dream scenarios and waking moments compounds the sense of wonder and mysticism that is carefully crafted throughout this story.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this novel is not just the magic of its prose, or the unique plot, but the feeling that remains with you after completing the story – that some things should remain unexplained, and that not every question can, or should, be answered. The Dreamers is a literary achievement – it is moving, thought-provoking and engaging, and you cannot help but become immediately entranced by its secrets and mysteries.

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker is published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick

Marcus Sedgwick is searching for monsters. Egged on by his publishers and the success of his last horror story, he once again needs something dark for his next book. Alone in a run-down cabin in the woods he hired for the purpose, he is isolated and at the mercy of the impending winter. With approaching snowstorms, he relies on nature for a writing deadline – the book must be complete before the bad weather comes. His inspiration is a creature born of strife, pieced together and cemented in the minds and hearts of millions of readers yet which he finds lacking. It is Mary Shelley’s story of Frankenstein.

Despite the complete isolation of the cabin, and perfect conditions for writing, Sedgwick’s distaste for Frankenstein and desire to leave make it near impossible to write more than a few self-depreciating sentences in his notebook. As the heart of winter draws ever nearer, the strain begins to set in, and he finds himself in a creative limbo which slowly causes him to unravel, and to doubt his own sanity.

Through a slowly growing sense of paranoia, The Monsters We Deserve has a sinister and otherworldly narrative which give it the delightfully nostalgic feel of the Gothic horror stories of the past. Here, the true horror lies not in what we are shown, but in the possibility of what lies beyond our reach. The reader’s own imagination is an essential ingredient in the narrative, linking the reader to the story, and to Sedgwick as both character and writer. He has graciously allowed the reader to share in his creation. Sedgwick’s well-trodden line between reality and impossibility is perhaps the scariest aspect of all.

The Monsters We Deserve is a clever and beautiful ode to classic gothic horror; specifically, to Frankenstein and its ilk. It is not a particularly long book, nor difficult to read, yet it is powerful and resonates long after the final page – haunting and a sly planter of doubt. Sedgwick clearly demonstrates that he understands the true heart of horror – the subtle fear that creeps up on you as you progress as a result of the shadows filled in by your own mind, and not forcefully illustrated by the author’s hand.

To engage with this book goes beyond just reading, it’s an experience in which one invests. Artistic, and dark with unusual layout and beautiful artwork, this book is a journey in itself. It is poetry in chaotic motion, begging to be read in one tense but spell-binding sitting.

The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick is published by Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Steve Woodhall's butterfly books

I’ve always considered myself a butterfly lover. There’s something magical about being propelled by paper-thin wings in various shapes and colours. Aside from their beauty, butterflies are also vital for a happy plant; they’re nature’s fairy godmothers. 

Struik Nature and Steve Woodhall literally have something for every kind of butterfly lover (including goodies to convert those silly enough not to love them). Being the incredibly lucky person that I am, I received a hamper of butterfly books from Penguin Random House. In a nutshell, I am in my happy place.

The Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa is an impressively comprehensive guide to literally all the butterfly species in the country – over 600 of them! This is like a textbook for butterflies – the perfect companion for those who are serious about spotting our winged friends. Containing everything from their life cycle, habitats, distribution in the country and how to watch and collect these insects ethically, its introduction is an entire reference book on its own. But wait, there’s more – thereafter start page after page of entries for the hundreds of species. Packed full of useful information, and brimming with stunning, crisp images, this is probably the only book you will ever need to identify South Africa’s butterflies. It’s a treat of a book that is as impressive as it is useful.

But if you’re not one for the scholarly approach to butterflies, or just want something that fits easily into a backpack while you’re out and about, Woodhall has another offering: The Pocket Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. As the name suggests, this book is the perfect size for portability. Featuring 250 of the most common species in the country for easy identification, it’s great for quick identification and research. Despite its small size, it does not compromise on quality of information.

If you’re still not convinced, or you’re a child of the technological revolution and have no time for paper, there’s an app. I kid you not – Steve Woodhall has an app for butterflies and it is one of the best things I have ever seen! With a whopping 806 species listed (yes, you read that correctly), there’s no way you’ll not be able to identify the butterfly before you. In addition, you can search for a specific species by colour, geography, name, location or time of year. The Butterflies of South Africa app is the ultimate investment for a butterfly lover on the go – it’s always where you are, dead useful, and super interactive. You can even tag where you find a specific species. What’s not to love?

Finally, if you think being able to identify a myriad butterfly species (while awesome) seems challenging in cities, think again. With Gardening for Butterflies, Woodhall and Lindsay Gray teach you what plants attract butterflies, enabling you to create your own butterfly utopia, and use your field guides in your garden, on your balcony, or next to a window box.

Everything about these books is top notch. They are informative, beautiful, useful and so filled with amazing pictures and inspiration. With Steve Woodhall’s help, you can bring the butterflies to you, and identify them from as early as egg stage. The only question that remains is why aren’t you out watching the butterflies?

The Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, The Pocket Guide to Butterflies of South Africa Gardening for Butterflies and the Butterflies of South Africa app by Steve Woodhall are published by Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.

Review: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

It started with Carla’s story about her son David. Through Carla’s words and shadowed memories, she birthed David into Amanda’s life, his presence threatening and mysterious. In her holiday home in a rural town, Amanda did not expect to befriend someone like Carla; someone beautiful and yet so damaged – haunted by her own son. When Carla’s intensity spills over into her own life, Amanda decides to leave the house early, to return to the sanity and normality of the capital, where her life and husband await.

But she doesn’t get that far. Amanda is in a hospital ward, with David. Sitting at the edge of her bed, listening, urging, waiting, David whispers at her to remember, to pay attention. As Amanda retraces her past, so delicately and fatally interwoven with David’s, she must accept that perhaps Carla was right, and that her stories, although macabre and twisted, were true.

The aptly named Fever Dream is a surreal experience. The line between recollection and reality is as fine as the edge of the pages the story spills across, luring the reader into to Amanda’s disorientation, to this whirlwind of past, present and dreams. Despite the limited space of 151 pages, Samanta Schweblin delivers a powerful experience, rich in chaos and an interrupted narrative that builds and disrupts tension like waves in the ocean. 

Though it be little, it is fierce – you may be able to finish this book in a single sitting, but it will linger in your mind for hours afterwards. Diving between taboo, horror and psychological thriller, Fever Dream is just the shock to the system needed to remind us that great literature is still out there, and that it’s stylish, accessible and sexy.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin is published by Oneworld Books, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.