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The Release
“Someone has to pay.”Jeremy Hlungwani has a gun and an unquenchable violent thought has lodged in his mind. Today he will drive his luxury car from his big-shot job and life in the suburbs to his childhood home in Meadowlands, Soweto. Along the way he will recall the moments in his life that got him here, on the wrong track. Today, Jeremy’s desperate attempt to reconcile his black life with his life in white Johannesburg will end in a dramatic culmination.The Release is a powerful anthem of a post-apartheid South African life, a reminder that the legacy of the past runs deeper than the bling-blinded present would have us believe.
176 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 2012
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11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 7, 2012
BookWalk #4 | The Release | Eric Miyeni
(Just a reminder that these BookWalks offer me a means to celebrate the writing of fellow authors, without drawing any critical conclusions. Hopefully, they also offer potential readers insight into the plot, themes and style of the novel.)
You hate me. I can see it in the pain on your lips as you smile your “thank you” and take my money. (p. 10) | Jeremy Hlungwani has reached the end of his tether and someone has to pay.
Meshach was calm. Cold as ice. Looking at him, you would never guess the speed at which the oversupply of adrenalin coursing through his veins was driving his pounding heart. (p. 23) | Jeremy has friends who remind him how pleasant it can be to let go and allow the demons run your life.
Dead because they were seen talking to the wrong man’s girlfriend. Dead because they thought robbing a bank was a one-time thing. Dead because they went to a shebeen where nobody knew who they were. Dead because they drove a car somebody wanted but couldn’t afford to buy. (p. 41) | Most of Jeremy’s other friends are leading even less successful lives than Meshach.
They all laughed in a brave attempt to turn the grim reality into some sort of happy memory. Jeremy could not tell which he hated more: this pretence or the actual torture. (p. 61) | Boarding schools are designed to be enjoyed by sociopaths only. Jeremy’s schooldays add a couple of bricks to his bagful of traumas.
Fear was Gembani’s weapon of choice. He would anything to instil it. He was so strong he could do a handstand with his back against the wall and do a hundred push-ups that way. (p. 71) We all have our own Gembanis to fight and forget. But sometimes a cure can be more terrifying than the problem itself.
It’s as though the last time they had had sex was not seventeen years ago. Despite her ecstasy, Jeremy feels like he is walking on fire without faith and burning his feet all the way to the end, too stubborn to jump off. (p. 88) | Jeremy’s trip down memory lane is more like a stumbling run along a narrow footpath at the edge of steep cliff. Halfway, he meets former lover S’mangele and there seems no way around her, except under, in and over her.
So white people suffered, like the fat policeman and Jesus Christ on the cross and farmer Littlemetalplate. (p. 105) | Despite the obvious pitfalls and drawbacks, Jeremy aspires to lead a “white life” in defiance of his deluded father’s warning: “Know your place and you’ll go far. Act above your station and you will be chopped down.” (Note: the book consists of three sections: Black Life, White Life and Life.)
He had been unable to see this back in 1976. His father’s voice, screaming, “Agitators, agitators, agitators”, had clouded his view of this reality, which was finally coming into focus for him. (p. 122) | University offers Jeremy a whole new perspective on his past, his present and his future. But that perspective looks like it may just leave him floating in the middle of nowhere, disenchanted with both black and white life.
“When he started getting bumped on the dance floor, it was an unmistakable signal for him to leave because it felt like an energy rising from hell.” (p. 165) Jeremy’s coping strategies earn him a “big-shot job and a life in the suburbs”, but by then he is towing a trailer full of trauma and ammunition behind his luxury car.
“The bullet releases like a long overdue sigh of relief.” (p. 174)
(Just a reminder that these BookWalks offer me a means to celebrate the writing of fellow authors, without drawing any critical conclusions. Hopefully, they also offer potential readers insight into the plot, themes and style of the novel.)
You hate me. I can see it in the pain on your lips as you smile your “thank you” and take my money. (p. 10) | Jeremy Hlungwani has reached the end of his tether and someone has to pay.
Meshach was calm. Cold as ice. Looking at him, you would never guess the speed at which the oversupply of adrenalin coursing through his veins was driving his pounding heart. (p. 23) | Jeremy has friends who remind him how pleasant it can be to let go and allow the demons run your life.
Dead because they were seen talking to the wrong man’s girlfriend. Dead because they thought robbing a bank was a one-time thing. Dead because they went to a shebeen where nobody knew who they were. Dead because they drove a car somebody wanted but couldn’t afford to buy. (p. 41) | Most of Jeremy’s other friends are leading even less successful lives than Meshach.
They all laughed in a brave attempt to turn the grim reality into some sort of happy memory. Jeremy could not tell which he hated more: this pretence or the actual torture. (p. 61) | Boarding schools are designed to be enjoyed by sociopaths only. Jeremy’s schooldays add a couple of bricks to his bagful of traumas.
Fear was Gembani’s weapon of choice. He would anything to instil it. He was so strong he could do a handstand with his back against the wall and do a hundred push-ups that way. (p. 71) We all have our own Gembanis to fight and forget. But sometimes a cure can be more terrifying than the problem itself.
It’s as though the last time they had had sex was not seventeen years ago. Despite her ecstasy, Jeremy feels like he is walking on fire without faith and burning his feet all the way to the end, too stubborn to jump off. (p. 88) | Jeremy’s trip down memory lane is more like a stumbling run along a narrow footpath at the edge of steep cliff. Halfway, he meets former lover S’mangele and there seems no way around her, except under, in and over her.
So white people suffered, like the fat policeman and Jesus Christ on the cross and farmer Littlemetalplate. (p. 105) | Despite the obvious pitfalls and drawbacks, Jeremy aspires to lead a “white life” in defiance of his deluded father’s warning: “Know your place and you’ll go far. Act above your station and you will be chopped down.” (Note: the book consists of three sections: Black Life, White Life and Life.)
He had been unable to see this back in 1976. His father’s voice, screaming, “Agitators, agitators, agitators”, had clouded his view of this reality, which was finally coming into focus for him. (p. 122) | University offers Jeremy a whole new perspective on his past, his present and his future. But that perspective looks like it may just leave him floating in the middle of nowhere, disenchanted with both black and white life.
“When he started getting bumped on the dance floor, it was an unmistakable signal for him to leave because it felt like an energy rising from hell.” (p. 165) Jeremy’s coping strategies earn him a “big-shot job and a life in the suburbs”, but by then he is towing a trailer full of trauma and ammunition behind his luxury car.
“The bullet releases like a long overdue sigh of relief.” (p. 174)
April 2, 2013
Powerful, archetypal story of what is was like growing up talented and black under apartheid - and then being chased-after to fill the new dreams of post-apartheid South Africa for black leadership. Most touching was the sense that there was no place home for this man - if he hung out with his black roots, he was excluded from all middle class pursuits, and if he hung out with the middle classes, he was excluded from all black society.
May 7, 2025
I was first introduced to Eric Miyeni through the TV drama series Molo fish and have since learned he is a prolific writer through his best-selling book, O'Mandingo! The only Black at a Dinner party, which I highly recommend. In this book, The release, we are transported in the world of Jeremy, who is also mostly the only Black within White people. I have to add that the last time I heard of Miyeni, it was through a Power FM interview between him and Lerato Mbele. I have to add that it got heated and what came out from it was a sense that Mr. Miyeni hates White people from what they did in the dark days, a similar theme from Molo fish. Of course this is a subjective view, with regards to the interview but the podcast should be available for those interested.
Back to the book! The protagonist is one angry Jeremy, who grew up in Soweto with an elder brother he hates; a father who "loves" White people and a mother who worked as a domestic servant. He is fortunate enough to end up as a big professional with a big fat cheque, who however is not fulfilled by his job. The plot is an interesting one as the story is told in one day, in his visit to Soweto, after many years of not being at the township. The plot is very much similar to Thando Mgqolozana's Unimportance, which reads as a letter. With Miyeni, the novel reads as a very long short story, without any characters (although divided into two sections) and covers every milestone of his life.
The main theme is that of apartheid (similar to Molo fish); his proximity to White people in university and how Black people were treated as the early students at these institutions; his upbringing and the way he dealt with a loss of his childhood best friend and other serious themes of love and heartbreak. The writing is good and flowing, with a lot of wonderful twists.
This book should be read by all South Africans, especially those who are battling to reconcile with how the transition into a democratic state was done. It also needs to be read by those who battle to understand the difficulty of some former struggle activists and those affected by apartheid, in forgiving those who oppressed the minority groups. One thing is for sure though, and it is that the book will take you on a very unpleasant emotional rollercoaster.
In the end, Jeremy actions are controlled by his demons and an illegal gun gifted to him by his best friend, Meshach. Overall, I give this book a solid 4/5 stars.
Back to the book! The protagonist is one angry Jeremy, who grew up in Soweto with an elder brother he hates; a father who "loves" White people and a mother who worked as a domestic servant. He is fortunate enough to end up as a big professional with a big fat cheque, who however is not fulfilled by his job. The plot is an interesting one as the story is told in one day, in his visit to Soweto, after many years of not being at the township. The plot is very much similar to Thando Mgqolozana's Unimportance, which reads as a letter. With Miyeni, the novel reads as a very long short story, without any characters (although divided into two sections) and covers every milestone of his life.
The main theme is that of apartheid (similar to Molo fish); his proximity to White people in university and how Black people were treated as the early students at these institutions; his upbringing and the way he dealt with a loss of his childhood best friend and other serious themes of love and heartbreak. The writing is good and flowing, with a lot of wonderful twists.
This book should be read by all South Africans, especially those who are battling to reconcile with how the transition into a democratic state was done. It also needs to be read by those who battle to understand the difficulty of some former struggle activists and those affected by apartheid, in forgiving those who oppressed the minority groups. One thing is for sure though, and it is that the book will take you on a very unpleasant emotional rollercoaster.
In the end, Jeremy actions are controlled by his demons and an illegal gun gifted to him by his best friend, Meshach. Overall, I give this book a solid 4/5 stars.
August 2, 2022
More than anything, I'd say 'The Release' takes readers on the protagonist's search for home. We're taken on a trip down memory lane and are given front row seats into Jeremy's attempt to find his bearings in a world that has only been unwelcoming, cruel and incredibly violent. I cannot recommend this beautiful, delicate read enough. If you're looking for a book with heart, this is yet another must-read by Eric Miyeni.
September 18, 2015
A book I came across by chance at the JBF last week, I picked it for two reasons, it was written by a black author and was R40.
I have read Miyeni before and only knew him as a non-fiction author, The Release published in 2012 was his debut novel.
The protagonist, Jeremy Hlungwani, is an 'achieving' black middle class man, originally from Soweto. He is a banking executive with a corner office, drives a Jaguar and lives in Sandton but is unhappy and feels his is a failure.
The book examines deeper psychological impact of apartheid on the black middle class.
The voice of the book is rather biographical than ficticious, it lacks something but it is a good book.
It is relavant and one which may be of interest to the leaders of transformation/ decolonization of the higher institutions in the country (students).
Even though we find the injustices Jeremy experienced as a student of the University of Natal in an apartheid South Africa, students of today are likely to relate to him through their own experiences in the same institutions after more than 20 years South Africa attained democracy.
I have read Miyeni before and only knew him as a non-fiction author, The Release published in 2012 was his debut novel.
The protagonist, Jeremy Hlungwani, is an 'achieving' black middle class man, originally from Soweto. He is a banking executive with a corner office, drives a Jaguar and lives in Sandton but is unhappy and feels his is a failure.
The book examines deeper psychological impact of apartheid on the black middle class.
The voice of the book is rather biographical than ficticious, it lacks something but it is a good book.
It is relavant and one which may be of interest to the leaders of transformation/ decolonization of the higher institutions in the country (students).
Even though we find the injustices Jeremy experienced as a student of the University of Natal in an apartheid South Africa, students of today are likely to relate to him through their own experiences in the same institutions after more than 20 years South Africa attained democracy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews