To begin with, this book opens with a suspense scene that grabs you and has you reading till the end wondering how did the first scene happen. I got no sleep till I got to the point of the first scene.
This is the story of high-flying couples living extravagant lives. They are part of a social club, the Khula Society. These are friends who come together monthly and these monthly events are all themed glitz and glamour just like their lives. The couples always trying to upstage the previous meeting. There is a lot of competitiveness in these people’s lives, they’re always chasing their own tails literally to appear richer than the others. Their lives are turned around by a devastating incident that was introduced in the opening scene.
With lots of twists and turns. Key themes include sexuality or lack thereof for one couple where the husband Mzwandile confesses to being asexual and the wife Lerato is deprived of sex as a result and her sexual frustration leads her to using a vibrator and eventually other means. Being shunned by him, meanwhile he is hiding behind religion. Betrayal, spiritual practices, religion, love, infidelity, unhappy marriages which are critical but are they stable?, overworking oneself, debt in a bid to keep up with the Khumalo’s literally and just drama all the way for all of them makes up the bulk of this book. All the themes I picked up on are so relevant in the times we are living in. I enjoyed how there was a storyline of the helper, Tshidi who worked for the Manamela’s and witnessed their opulent lives. She brought in her daughter Nthabiseng to hide out in her quarters due to the xenophobic attacks that took place where they lived. I liked the fact that Angela managed to balance the lives of these high-flying people and the people that helped them look all presentable in the eyes of their peers. I enjoy Angela’s writing style, her wit, and the fact that she’s able to get the reader into the lives of the characters and fall in love with them and get frustrated with them at the same time.
It is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The women withstand abuse – might not be physical but it really is emotional abuse. Having to deal with accepting infidelity because of being married for so long, the women end up burning from trying to keep their families together. What Angela does well is showing the wives as smart and successful women in their own right. I enjoyed the well-researched African spirituality part of the book. Although the ending for me wasn’t enough, this is a must read and so Angela-resque which I’m sure her fans will enjoy.
Book is available at all good bookstores, my copy was sponsored by the good people at CNA. Follow them on @CNA_Africa.
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