Love Interrupted

by Reneilwe Malatji

Love, interrupted is set partially in the university town of Grahamstown and partially in rural Limpopo. The stories in this collection have an intimate feel, like conversations eavesdropped on. We hear the voices of black South African women, many of whom have to endure their husbands’ nyatsis (mistresses), their abuse or both. Some cope by turning to church, others by turning a blind eye and some, like the narrator of “Vicious Cycle”, by seeking to understand the legacy of South Africa’s past and the effects of migrant labour on its men. Despite serious themes of patriarchy and racism, there is much humour and lightness in the stories, as in “Bridal Shower”, in which the narrator encounters a male stripper for the first time, and in “Toy Boy”, in which a woman befriends the gigolo next door. This is an engaging collection full or rich characters you won’t forget, from Lebo, whose dream is take over the business of her domestic worker’s mother’s boss, and uses a witchdoctor to punish her detractors to MmaPhuti, who spikes her famous ginger-beer with whiskey.

Genres: Short Stories, Africa, Fiction

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection focuses on stories of present-day women in South Africa - careers, relationship, family. I found the women to be vibrant and their situations to be a combination of frustrating and hopeful - just like real life.

Frequent themes include polygamy (and always the men, of course) and the general absence of men. Daughters and sons are unusual if they still have their fathers, and there are a lot of single working mothers in these stories.

The setting feels similar to America in the sense of "official" racism being over, leaving the white people (mostly Dutch/Afrikaans, in this set) to believe everything is okay while they perpetuate the systematic racism. There are still very low ceilings on the actual African women for career, education, and expectation. Those who try to move beyond the traditional roles face additional challenges in their own communities. I felt like I was seeing into a world I hadn't really seen.

Thanks to the publisher for providing early access to this title through Edelweiss. It comes out August 7, 2018.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Love Interrupted" Reneilwe gives us a slice or two or three of the black woman's life living in South Africa.

From "Angela" to "Toy Boy", I laughed and nearly cried because on top of dealing with body-image insecuries and trying so hard not to be the "only black at the dinner table", I have to navigate heterosexual relationships piled sky-high with patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes. Sprinkle a bit of racism, "Drama Queens and Kings", which treacherously rears its head just to remind you that freedom is not free at all. All 13 short stories will leave you in a reflective and pensive mood because they demand that you examine your life, your networks and your environment. The two stories on Lebo were so close to home because we all know one of the two Lebos.

Reneilwe delivers all 13 stories in a simple and relatable way. Pieces of herself can be glimpsed here and there giving the narrative a layer of authenticity. Some truths come to the fore such as that relationships are tricky at any age. The stories are believable and most black women will be able to relate. We've all dated these shifty men, "A Million Dollars in Grahamstown" at some point in our lives and know of a friend of a friend of a friend who've eliminated "The Threat" in very crafty ways.

Loved it. Easy to read. Humorous. A great summer read. If you've got roots in Limpopo, you'll definitely chuckle. If you are Xhosa or had spent time in Grahamstown or any part of the Eastern Cape, this is your #SummerYaDiSummer reads.

Could have done with a hawkish editorial team but a big 4 stars from me and well deserved accolades.

[Tiah]

Interesting slices of SA life. Each story is told with a purpose: a message, moral or stand/view point.

[Alice Kersting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamic short stories that frankly contemplate changing gender, economic, urban, and race roles in modern South Africa. Although these themes are uniquely characteristic of place and time, they are also universal and relatable to the modern human experience everywhere.

[Zish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this critical look into, and humorous collection of, stories that gives insight into South African culture! I read it in a day, it’s so well written and hard to put down!

[Giselle Foss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty grim depiction of the way some South African women are treated by the men in their lives. So much lying and cheating. The women in the stories seem to be expected to just accept it and get over it.

On a completely different note, I enjoyed the use of local vocabulary here and there, in the Sepedi language. I know some Sesotho and was pleased to find there are many cognates in Sepedi.