God’s Pocket by Sven Axelrad
Review by Justine Stafford, Content Director & Chief Book Nerd at Jeannieous
I finished reading Sven Axelrad’s latest novel, God’s Pocket, last night and cannot stop thinking about it today. This haunting tale is set in an imaginary town called Vivo, and details the journey of teenaged Filo, who rebels against his parents’ wishes for him to study accounting by running away to an abandoned cabin in a secluded quarry to write his first novel. So far so normal. Things start to get seriously spooky as the silence of his new environment frays at Filo’s nerves, causing a paralysing case of writer’s block. Help comes from an unexpected source, but soon Filo’s friends – who visit once a month to bring him supplies – notice strange changes in his behaviour and question the price the young writer seems willing to pay for his art.
In a sea of predictably cut-and-paste commercial fiction, God’s Pocket is refreshingly philosophical, horrifyingly surprising and deliciously sexy. Axelrad paints Vivo, and her inhabitants (human and supernatural), in glorious technicolour, breathing life into unforgettable characters and a truly unique story.
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Gas Light by Femi Kayode
Review by Danielle Weakley of DoesMyBookLookSmart
No surprise that I am a big fan of Femi Kayode – I can never resist crime fiction! Femi is a Nigerian-born, Namibia-based author whose fantastic lead character, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo, gets pulled into assisting on cases in and around Nigeria, so much so that the colour and chaos of this vibrant country almost becomes its own character in his novels. His latest, Gas Light, is a twisty whodunnit that starts when the head of a super-wealthy, super-influential Nigerian mega-church is arrested on suspicion of murdering his own wife. There’s no body, yet. Until there is. Philip is dragged into the case by his beloved sister who was a friend of the victim and is active in the church, but it’s the way in which Femi allows the victim to have a voice throughout this book that I really loved. She is woven in and out of the narrative through a series of letters. A great read and second in the Philip Taiwo series, although you do not need to have read Light Seekers first to enjoy this banger.
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Sunshine & Shadows by Busisekile Khumalo
Review by Jeannie D, Co-Founder of Jeannieous
And I thought I was a spicy little number! This provocative novel, which is set in modern-day Zimbabwe, starts off as a true romance between the protagonist, law-student, Vimbai, and her hotter-than-hot boyfriend, Valentine. But, dear readers, hold on to your panties, because by the second half, Vimbai’s morality has been tested to the max by an arrogant, darkly sexy, much older man who will stop at nothing – and I do mean nothing – to possess her, mind, body and soul. I love how brave Busisekile is in her writing, literally poking the patriachal bear by fearlessly tackling often taboo African topics like homosexuality, tribal misogyny, mental health and the desperate disparity between rich and poor. As for the sex scenes… Phwoar, I give this book a triple-X rating that will have you gasping for more. 😈
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