BOOK REVIEWS

LOVE, SIMON: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Film Tie-In Edition) Becky Albertalli | Penguin | 9780241330135 | R175 Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better. Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is – and what he’s looking for. But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated. Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal… It’s a holy freaking huge awesome deal.

THE LAST ROMEO Justin Meyers | Piatkus Books | 9780349416939 | R285 James is 34 and fed up. His six-year relationship with Adam has imploded, he hates his job making up celebrity gossip, and his best friend Bella has just announced she’s moving to Russia. Adrift and single in loved-up London, James needs to break out of his lonely, drunken comfort zone. Encouraged by Bella, he throws himself headlong into online dating, blogging each encounter anonymously as the mysterious Romeo. After meeting a succession of hot/weird/gross men, James has fans and the validation he’s always craved. But when his wild night with a closeted Olympian goes viral and sends his Twitter-fame through the roof, James realises, maybe in the search for happy-ever-after, some things are better left un-shared. From Justin Myers, author of sensational blog The Guyliner, this razor-sharp and cringingly candid account of one man’s quest for The One is as sad, fearless and funny as dating itself.

COALITION COUNTRY – South Africa after the ANC Leon Schreiber | Tafelberg | 9780624083948 | R285 We are on the cusp of a momentous change. The ANC has governed South Africa for more than two decades, but its iron grip is slipping. For the first time since 1994 there is no guarantee that it will retain power. If ANC support drops below 50% in the 2019 elections, the political landscape will be transformed dramatically. Will Mmusi Maimane and Julius Malema be in charge? Or will the ANC and the EFF join forces? What will this mean for our nation?

IF THIS BE TREASON Helen Joseph | Kwela Books | 9780795708176 | R192 In this personal account, Joseph writes about enduring the Treason Trial – one of the longest and most important trials in South African history, where she stood accused along with Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. With disarming honesty, she shares stories of the women’s prison, the behind-the-scenes discussions with their defence team, the constant daily humiliations, but also their perseverance and small triumphs. This book, originally banned and not available for decades, adds a vital dimension to our understanding of South African history.

‘N LUIPERD IN MY BED Annelize Slabbert | Tafelberg | 9780624082354 | R260 Annelize Slabbert was ’n joernalis in Johannesburg en haar man, Gerard, ’n apteker. Stedelinge. Toe word hulle moeg vir die lewe in die stad, die spitsverkeer, die gebrek aan stilte en sterre. En hulle volg die krom wandelpad na Die Droom van ’n landelike idille met skape en groen gras. Tot, uiteindelik, in die son en sand van die Sentraal-Kalahari in Botswana waar hulle ’n viersterlodge bestuur. Wat kan dan nou verkeerd loop? ‘n Ware verhaal, uitstekend vertel, skreeusnaaks en aangrypend.

KATELKNAAP Leon van Nierop | Penguin Random House SA | 9781485903550 | R220 In Katelknaap kry die leser ’n blik op die vroue wat die enigmatiese Tristan Hansen gevorm het en van genot geleer het. Veral saam met een vrou, ver weg in Positano, ’n dorpie in Italië, kon hy hom loswikkel van die beklemming van sy konserwatiewe ma wat hom ná sy pa se selfmoord alleen grootmaak. Maar dit was ook nie die laaste beklemming nie. Op die vooraand van Tristan se 27ste verjaardag vind ons Tristan in sy luukse dakwoonstel in Maboneng, onrustig ná ’n vreemde foonoproep vol dreigende stilte. Terwyl hy kan voel hoe hy deur ’n verkyker dopgehou word en dat die afloerder met iets anders as begeerte na hom kyk, reik sy herinneringe terug na gelukkiger dae in Positano, en na sy opleiding in die kuns van liefdemaak. Also available in English as Toy Boy, ISBN: 9781485903284.

DIE LANG MAN SONDER SKADUWEE – Die karoo se grondpad na genesing Niq Mhlongo | Kwela Books | 9780795708374 | R245 Dit is Antoinette Pienaar, Afrikaanse sangeres, aktrise en radiopersoonlikheid, se nuwe boek ná die verskyning van Kruidjie roer my, haar boek oor Karookruie. In Die lang man sonder skaduwee sit Antoinette haar roeping as geneser voort. Vol begrip en deernis word Karookruie ingespan om allerlei kwale te genees. Maar nou ondersoek sy ook die genesende krag wat in die ou stories, raaisels en rympies van die Griekwa-mense skuil, want dikwels het ’n fisieke probleem ’n emosionele oorsprong en is dit stories wat die hart kan genees.

TSK-TSK – The story of a child at large Suzan Hackney | Jonathan Ball | 9781868428724 | R240 “I was made in Coffee Bay. Right there on the beach, in the sand.” Suzan is adopted as a new-born in the late 1960s into a seemingly loving and welcoming Pietermaritzburg family. But she clashes with her adoptive mother and at the age of thirteen, she is sent to a place of safety as a ward of the state, effectively ‘orphaning’ her. From there, she spirals out of control – fighting to survive in a world of other neglected, abandoned and abused children. Suzan’s young life was the stuff of movies, but it is her writing, in a voice that is unforgettable and true, that transforms her memories into something magical rarely matched in South African literature.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE Hendrik Groen and translated by Hester Velmans | Penguin Random House SA 9780718186647 | R293 The new diary from one of literature’s most beloved octogenarians. On The Bright Side picks up where The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen left off, at the care home of the anarchic Old-But-Not-Dead Club where Hendrik and his friends are determined to enjoy their autumn years full of optimism. Written with his characteristic charm and humour Hendrik proves, yet again, that age is simply a number.

CATCHING THUNDER –The race to save our oceans from poachers and criminal kingpins Eskil Engdal & Kjetil Sæter | Tafelberg | 9780624079712 | R285 Wanted by Interpol, the Thunder has for years evaded justice: accumulating millions in profits, hunting endangered species and ruthlessly destroying ocean habitats. But even as seasoned journalists, the authors cannot anticipate what the chase will uncover, as the wake of the Thunder leads them to a trail of criminal kingpins, rampant corruption, modern slavery, and an international community content to turn a blind eye. Very soon, apprehending Thunder becomes more than a chase, and instead a pursuit of the truth itself and a symbolic race to preserve the well-being of our planet. Catching Thunder is a remarkable true story of courage and perseverance, and a wake-up call to act against the destruction of our environments.

DRUGS THAT CHANGED OUR MINDS – The history of psychiatry in ten treatments Lauren Slater | Simon & Schuster | 7981471136894 | R403 With the rise of psychopharmacology, an ever-increasing number of people are taking psychotropic drugs, yet nearly seventy years after doctors first began prescribing them, we still don’t really know exactly how or why they work – or don’t work – on what ails our brains. Lauren Slater offers an explosive account not just of the science but of the people – inventors, detractors and consumers – behind our narcotics, from the earliest, Thorazine and Lithium, up through Prozac, Ecstasy, magic mushrooms, the most cutting-edge memory drugs and neural implants. She narrates the history of psychiatry itself and illuminates the signature its chemicals have left on millions of brains, and how these drugs may heal us or hurt us.

EVERYDAY Lisa Clark | Struik | 9781432308636 | R320 In Everyday, Lisa Clark shares some insights into how to provide healthy, balanced and quick recipes. The book is divided into 10 chapters, each starting off with a basic recipe and then followed by several others that show how to turn one quick meal into several appetising dishes. From muesli, tomato sauce and roasted vegetables to fish, chicken, pastry and sponge cake, there is sure to be a recipe to inspire your everyday cooking.