Confessions of a Gambler

by Rayda Jacobs

In this timely novel, Abeeda, a South African woman in her late forties, is struggling to hold on to both halves of a double life. To others, she is a pious Muslim mother of four, coping with the death of one of her sons to AIDS. But Abeeda has also developed a gambling addiction, winning and losing huge amounts of money. In a series of flashbacks her life is traced as a woman in her twenties, through a torrid affair with her younger sister's fiancé, Imran, and her history of taking wild risks. In all, this is a gripping story of family, addiction, religion, and redemption.

Genres: Fiction, African Literature, Africa

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Rayda Jacobs was a South African writer and filmmaker.

Reviews

[Rogerio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book, especially for whoever has been in Cape Town. Rayda Jacobs will take you through her story, of which gambling is a only a part of it. There is much more to look for in this book. The actual escapades to Grand West, the intoxication with gambling and the seek for help are just a fraction of the story. I love the way the spiritual battle, the addiction and the risk taking, and ladies world blend together, the way sin is confessed and described. The role of religious practices, friends and family. The way Beeda thinks and acts are so much closely related to many other stories and to struggles of each of us. I couldn't help but check myself against her. It is an insightful perspective into the local habits and lifestyle connect to the muslim.
There are some Afrikaans, as well as arabic (names of muslim practices). At a certain point, the book alternates two storylines at the same time (one chapter starts in the past, after her divorce - the next chapter comes back to the present, 20 odd years later). It can be a bit challenging to keep track, so it is best to read it continuosly than over a long period of time. It is a page turner because the story is well written and gives you an idea of being totally genuine.
I like also the way everything is mixed up and happening at the same time, which is what normally happens in life. The main threads that appear throughout the book are:
- Braima goint with another woman, leaving Beeda with 3 kids plus one in the tummy
- Beeda meeting Imran who is about to marry her sister and nevertheless having a passionate affair with him. Both will struggle for a long time with the feelings
- The first bet at the casino and the slow drift to uncontrollable spending at the machines, making her source the money to gamble in not-so-nice ways.
- The illnesses in the immediate family (dead of her son who is gay and had AIDS, her mother, Zulpha)
- All of the above and the struggle to reconciliate it with Allah and islamic practices and traditions.
It is really recommended as it is a painful sharing of experiences, of personal success and failure moments. A good mirror to look at.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very like James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" in that it appears to be a brutally honest account of an addiction (in this case gambling). When it turned out that it was complete fiction, I was amazed.

It is brilliant and a must read. As if the idea of a smoking, straight talking Muslim woman with a car that drives autopilot to the local casino isn't enough, the author writes with such immediacy that you almost feel you are part of her vibrant and boisterous family circle. An added bonus is her sense of humour which has you chuckling at events in her life that normally wouldn't be viewed as amusing.

If you live, or have lived in Cape Town, the added bonus is that you get a new perspective on all the places you know.

A great read

[Tiah]

A griping story with a complex character who has good and not so admirable traits. Eerily human, for a fictional character. The book deals with many complex and current issues in a manner that is not preachy or judgmental, but allows the story to speak for itself.

I know many men tend to shy away from female authors, especially with a female main character, but this is one book that I could see being enjoyed by both sexes.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just started this book and am intrigued. A friend gave this to me since it takes place in South Africa and I have been there a few times. It is a novel but you feel like you are reading a memoir.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, the story, the compulsions, the twists and turns of plot, human fallibility, love, and of course the setting, Cape Town.

[Cuppicakes]

I'm enjoying this book because I am Muslim & know what she is tallking about.

[Mojo]

very south african

[kreestar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling storyline + believable three-dimensional characters kept the pages turning. It's a pity, for me, it fell flat in the end.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept my attention from page 1. Especially enjoyable if you know the Cape and understand the local lingo............

[Sarla Dixit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read! Set in Cape Town, the story of a compulsive gambler is about the life of Abeeda, a Muslim woman. Gives the reader an insight into Muslim religion.

[Wendy Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read, set in Cape Town, about a muslim lady who succumbs to the world of gambling....

[Janine Roussouw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beeda builds a life for herself and her 4 sons after her husband abandons them to marry his mistress. When her friend Garaatie invites her along to the casino, everything spirals downwards from there. But the book is not all about gambling. It's about wives who work hard at pretending that they have perfect husbands and perfect marriages. What if you meet the right person at the wrong time and he's engaged to someone else? The book is about lost love, longing, survival, the cultural expectations of a good wife and mother. Beeda is reckless, fearless and yet so vulnerable and protective when it comes to her children. An award-winning book by Rayda Jacobs.

[Debbie Welman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been wanting to read this book for many years and finally managed to get a copy. I loved this book and it’s so realistic it’s hard to believe it’s fiction. You feel you know Breeda as a friend and I loved learning about her culture and the South African flavour, places and sayings. It’s very sad at times but has plenty of humour too. I highly recommend this book. I’ve previously read and enjoyed Joonie and now look forward to reading more of Rayda Jacobs.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a good book, got a bit tired of the detailed workings of the slot machines and would have liked a glossary of the Muslim terms used but I found it interesting and quite scarey just how easily and to what extent one can get dragged into the gambling addiction, if one has an addictive personality I suppose.

[Sherryn Sauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book but kept shouting in my mind at Beeda to leave. Take your money and go! I'm glad it all worked out for her.

[Selona Naidoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The manner in which the author captured the mother and her sons made it so REAL for me. Read the entire book in one sitting

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a balance of humor and heartbreak, and addiction and hope, Jacobs' exploration of a Muslim mother's look at the world is a graceful movement between a past and a present, all so interwoven as to condense each moment with another. With a son dying of AIDS and personal addiction becoming heaver and heavier, Jacobs' protagonist is one to remember, and is created so strikingly and believably that the novel is simply compelling.

Written with an eye toward painful self confession, and with a focus on hard truths, the book is a serious one. Yet, the community at the center of the book is what ensures a read which is not only powerful, but beautiful, and full of hope.

Recommended.

[Jayne Bauling · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful character Abeeda Ariefdien is, confident, sassy, sexy, loving and all too human.

The casino atmosphere comes across quite brilliantly in the compulsive gambling scenes.

A novel about addiction, family heartbreak, faith, love and lust. Highly enjoyable.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very poignant read but the ending is a bit weak and predictable.

[Lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is the book she became known for, uyou have read nothing, before you have read her other books. I am an avid reader of Rayda' books.

[Goretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting account by an interesting lady! you don't need to be stupid to be an addicted gambler...

[Lianne Lipschitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BRILLIANT READ - a true insight into religious beliefs and South Africa

[Filiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT WAS GREAT!!!!