Homebru Fiction

This genre-bending Afrofuturist horror novel blends The Handmaid’s Tale with Get Out in an adrenaline-packed, cyberpunk, body-hopping ghost story exploring motherhood, memory, and a woman’s right to her own body. Nelah seems to have it all: fame, wealth, and a long-awaited daughter. But, trapped in a loveless marriage to a policeman who uses a microchip to monitor her every move, Nelah’s perfect life is precarious. When a tryst ends in an accidental death, Nelah’s life spirals out of control as she goes to desperate lengths to hide the killing and save the life of her yet-to-be-born daughter who is growing in one of the governments Wombcubators, daring to hope that she can keep one last secret. Set in a future Botswana, a cruel futuristic surveillance state where bodies are a government-issued resource, this harrowing story is a twisty, nail-biting commentary on power, and bodily autonomy. In this devastatingly timely debut novel, acclaimed novelist Tlotlo Tsamaase asks, just how far must a woman go to bring the whole system crashing down?

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Claire is less cynical. ‘Fall in love, if you must. But do your research. And meet his people early on. They’ll give you a sense of who he is.’ Solid advice. And ultimately, this is how I found myself on a flight to Bloemfontein one Friday afternoon. An instant classic, the lies and betrayals of love and party politics are told in gorgeous prose with an ear for our time’s intimate and public language. The Comrade’s Wife follows a turbulent marriage between a rising politician and an academic, told through her life and lens. ‘Tender, delightful, frightening. A testimony to Boswell’s inexhaustible vision.’ – Pumla Dineo Gqola, author of Female Fear Factory ‘Wonderfully plotted, emotionally rich, clever, and full of intrigue… Find a quiet, comfortable corner and settle in because you won’t want to leave Anita’s superb company until she’s finished her story.’ – Nadia Davids, author of An Imperfect Blessing ‘What a thrilling read! I could not put it down.’ – Terry-Ann Adams, author of White Chalk and Those Who Live in Cages ‘Some politicians are as immoral at home as they are in the halls of government. The Comrade’s Wife is a wonderful account of the political made personal.’ – Rehana Rossouw, author of New Times and What Will People Say

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Brenda has always worked hard to fit in – from her school days, when her talent in athletics gave her access to a richer world, to marriage to her soulmate, which bound her to that world. It’s hard to know how much of her discomfort comes from the ongoing presence of Denver in her life. From the time when they were the two fastest girls in the athletics team, through years of marriage and parenthood, Denver has always offered friendship, worthy competition … and simmering resentment. When Brenda realizes that Denver is a threat to her family’s wellbeing, there’s nothing she won’t do to protect them. And Denver will do anything to protect herself. After years of rivalry, who will cross the finish line first?

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I Do ... Don't I? is the much-anticipated sequel to the popular novel The Thing with Zola. It continues the sparkling and tender love story of free-spirited Zola and charismatic Mbali, traversing the vibrant landscapes of Kigali and Johannesburg as they navigate a long-distance relationship and the question of commitment. Will they say I do?The cast is complete with the interweaving of the vivacious Okuhle on her heart-stirring journey to marriage, the audacious Thobile rebelling against societal norms, and the stoic Ongama navigating upheavals in her married life.Personal desires collide with expectations, painting a unique picture of the nuances of love, dreams, and the trials of responsibilities and relationshipping. The result is a whirlwind of emotions, laughter, poignant revelations and the quest for a fairytale ending.I Do … Don't I? is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.

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‘Every hitman knows not to seek a moral angle while taking out a target. But then I was to kill a clergyman. A Pentecostal pastor, actually. They called him Pastor Tim Cletus.’ In the heart of Johannesburg, where crime and intrigue intertwine, Nollywood actor Uche Mbadiegwu finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of survival. After narrowly escaping trouble in Brazil, Uche’s path crosses with Professor Bern Steyn, a renowned criminologist delving into the world of Czech criminal Radovan Krejčíř. Meanwhile, the enigmatic businesswoman Huan Lin Zhang and the elusive Chuma Mpiga from the Department of Home Affairs meet clandestinely at Mongkok Chinese Restaurant, setting the stage for a web of deceit and power plays. Amidst this chaos, Tim Cletus, the self-proclaimed Nigerian pastor and racketeer, emerges as a formidable force, trafficking women and spreading his influence. Uche, caught in the midst of conflicting interests, finds himself hired by the Chinese to eliminate Cletus and by Indian loan sharks to enforce brutal debt collection. As Uche navigates the treacherous landscape of Johannesburg, he must outwit ruthless adversaries to survive. Will he emerge unscathed, or will the shadows of the underworld consume him?

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Natasha is the owner of a successful beauty company and is in a long-term relationship with the charming Sizwe. However, she has no interest in marriage or in becoming a traditional makoti. She has it all figured out. Until a fateful encounter with a handsome stranger . . . When Natasha makes an impulsive decision, she has to navigate the unfamiliar complexities of love, life and desire. She turns to the ‘Darlings’ WhatsApp group for advice; these women are her lifeline. There’s Sofia who seems to have it all, while the cousins, Farhana and Razia, both find themselves in complicated marriages. But whatever life throws their way, these darlings always have one another’s backs.   

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Sana and Meena will never meet. The two women share little beyond Akbar Manzil, the sprawling mansion they call home. When Meena fell in love with the owner of the house, it was the grandest residence on South Africa’s east coast near Durban. Eight decades later when Sana and her father move to the house, the latest of Akbar Manzil's long list of tenants, it is in near-ruins, crumbling, shabby and dark. This is a place where people come to forget. Or to be forgotten. Full of questions about her new home, Sana is drawn to the deserted east wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects – and to the locked door at its end, unopened for decades. Soon, Sana begins to discover the tangled, troubling history of the house, awakening the memories of the house itself and dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone –living and dead – at Akbar Manzil.

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Petunia Moraleng, voormalige stasiebevelvoerder op Parys, is haar rang kwyt en oorgeplaas Mooibaai toe. Vroeg in Desember word die oorskot van twee jong vroue ontdek en oornag bevind sy haarself as die hoofondersoeker in ’n raaiselagtige moordsaak. Wat het Die Clowns, ’n Russiese skeepskaptein en die matriag van die vooraanstaande Heemstra-familie se testament gemeen? En waar kom die albaster in die eerste slagoffer se hand vandaan?

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Toe Ami hoor dat ’n man voor haar gim geskiet is, weet sy daar is moeilikheid. Hoekom is die Valke op die misdaadtoneel? Was dit ’n sluipmoord? En wat is dit wat die speurder optel en in sy sak druk? Voor Ami hierdie raaisels kan oplos, kruis haar pad met dié van ’n Duitse joernalis wat bewerings van ’n ontstellende voorval in Mosambiek ondersoek. Is daar werklik ’n verband tussen die twee stories?

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Hoe Sara Koordom op Rooiduin in die verre Noord-Kaap aangeland het, is ’n raaisel. Sy het gekom soos die woestynwind – een dag was sy daar, en niemand weet van waar nie.  Dis nie lank nie of die hele dorp merk op watter raakvatter Sara is. Maar die bedreiging wat Piet Boskat inhou, roep die spoke van Sara se verlede op. Kan sy vir haar ’n weg ooptrap om the ontsnap aan die gevare van die hede én van die verlede? En terselfdertyd die mense beskerm vir wie sy so lief geword het?

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Kan jy vlug van wie jy regtig is? Lula Prins wil oor begin op Heydendal. ’n Nuwe lewe, ’n nuwe dorp, ’n nuwe naam. Anoniem. Dan stap ’n nuwe man ongenooid by haar lewe in en haar verlede begin haar inhaal. Kriek Kruger wil uitvind wat met sy laatlambroer, Dian, gebeur het. Het hy werklik na sy dood gespring of wil iemand dit na selfdood laat lyk? En wie het daardie verdoemende verslag geskryf wat hom finaal laat knak het? Terwyl Kriek na antwoorde soek en Lula van die spoke in haar verlede vlug, gooi die noodlot hulle saam in ’n opwindende, gevaarlike wentelbaan. Gaan Kriek uitvind wie sy regtig is? En kan ’n mens ooit werklik van jou jouself weg vlug?

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Mangi and his fiancée, Aza, have been living together in Linden for the past eight years. One day while cleaning their bedroom, Mangi discovers Aza’s secret. The uncovering of Aza's lie is the catalyst to the unravelling of their already tumultuous relationship. When Aza eventually ends their relationship, Mangi is left destitute. Mangi searches for meaning as he makes his way through the streets of Joburg in The City Is Mine. 

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