London - Cape Town - Joburg

by Zukiswa Wanner

“I would’ve been able to live like this if Zuko hadn’t been born . . . London was good. Is good. I love London. But . . .”

1994

The world is about to change. The first truly democratic election in South Africa’s history is about to unite Nelson Mandela’s rainbow nation at the ballot box. And, across the world, those in exile, those who could not return home, those who would not return home, wait. Watch and wait . . .

London

Martin O’Malley isn’t one of those watching and waiting. He is too busy trying to figure out if Germaine Spencer really is the girl for him and why his best friend is intent on ruining every relationship he gets involved in. And then . . . And then Germaine is pregnant and suddenly the world really has changed for Martin O’Malley.

South Africa

A land of opportunity. A place where a young black man with an MSc from the London School of Economics could have it all, would have it all. But what does Martin O’Malley, London born and bred with an Irish surname, really know about his mother’s country? His motherland. A land he has never seen.

Genres: South Africa, Fiction, Africa, African Literature

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Born to a South African father and a Zimbabwean mother in Zambia, Zukiswa Wanner is the author of the novels The Madams (2006), Behind Every Successful Man (2008), Commonwealth and Herman Charles Bosman Award shortlisted Men of the South (2010). Her two children’s books Jama Loves Bananas and Refilwe will be out in October this year.

As an essayist she has written The Politics of Race, Class, and Identity in Education http://www.guernicamag.com/blog/3429/...
and 2011 Mail & Guardian’s book of Women Introductory essay , Being a Woman in South Africa http://bow2011.mg.co.za/essays/on-bei....

She co-edited Outcasts – a collection of short stories from Africa and Asia with Indian writer Rohini Chowdhury in 2012. Wanner is one of 66 writers in the world (with Wole Soyinka, Jeanette Winterson, and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, among others) to write a contemporary response to the Bible. The works were staged in London theatres and at Westminister Abbey in October 2011. 66 Books: 21st Century Writers Speak to the King James Version Bible’s proceeds benefit disadvantaged art students.

Wanner co-authored A Prisoner’s Home (2010), a biography on the first Mandela house 8115 Vilakazi Street with award-winning South African photographer Alf Kumalo as well as L’Esprit du Sport (2010) with French photographer Amelie Debray.

She is the founder of ReadSA - a writer-initiated campaign to get South Africans reading more African literature with a particular emphasis on donating locally-written books to school libraries (and where unavailable, start libraries) and was in the inaugural writing team for first South African radio soapie in English, SAFM’s Radio Vuka.

She has been a regular participant at the prime literary events in South Africa, Time of the Writer, Franschhoek Literary Festival and Cape Town Book Fair and has also participated in literary festivals in England (London Book Fair), Denmark, Germany (BIGSAS Festival of African Literature), Zimbabwe (Intwasa Arts Festival), Algeria (Algiers Book Fair), Norway and Ghana (Pan African Literary Festival). In addition to this, she has conducted workshops for young writers in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Denmark, Germany and Western Kenya.

Wanner has contributed articles to Observer, Forbes Africa, New Statesman, O, Elle, The Guardian, Africa Review, Mail & Guardian, Marie Claire, Real, Juice, Afropolitan, OpenSpace, Wordsetc, Baobab, Sunday Independent, City Press, & Sunday Times.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving it 5 stars again. 2nd time around.

This is by far the best that Zuki has produced, in my opinion. Not only is the writing excellent compared to her previous works, it has more depth and the storyline is so real and believable. If I were to pick it up again in 2028, the characters, plot and storyline would still resonate.

I am looking forward to @BookWormsBookClub's discussion on 12th Jan.

[Nungari Kahura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book. Wanner sets out the tragedy at the beginning of the book so you’re anticipating it throughout but then she takes you from London to Cape Town to Joburg, falling in love with the characters so that when the tragedy actually happens, it hits you afresh. A good read, page turner.

[Puleng Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story follows the intriguing lives of husband and wife, Martin and Germaine and their son Zuko. . The couple's love story and near perfect marriage begins in London progresses to Cape town and then to fast paced post liberation Johannesburg. We are let in on their experiences with extended families, friends , communities and countries. A gripping narration that covers themes of sexuality, race, family, trust, love, marriage, parenting, business, career, art betrayal and death. Not only a beautiful love story , but also a book with insightful and political viewpoints.
I was blown away. Wanner, beautifully weaves and builds the story spanning seventeen years .
The end was tragically beautiful and unpredictable . I sat minutes after reconstructing my different versions of endings as propelled by the actual conclusion. The book defied the forces of gravity. I could not put it down. Three hundred and thirty pages of literary genius.
Brilliant creative writing by Wanner. She showcases her skill and versatility by writing from three different points of view.

[Faith aka Suckerforcoffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Shagufta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book caught my eye at a local bookstore because the cover of the book is the skyline of each of the three cities it describes, and I found my copy at the Sandton Public Library.

The story opens with Germaine Spencer, wife of Martin O’ Malley, mother of Zuko Spencer – O’Malley grieving and furious over the death of her thirteen year old son who has taken his own life. She finds him on his birthday dead in the bathtub with his wrists slit and a suicide note addressed to his father in his room. She interprets his silence to signal anger with her, and she hates her husband for being the one that her son turned to in his final words. The book then shifts to her husband’s perspective of his son’s death. Neither character explains why their son has died, and the book then goes back in time to London 1994, where the two characters first meet. London, 1994 -1998 is the first section of the book, and takes up about half of the novel. Cape Town 1998 – 2008 is the second part of the novel and Joburg 2008 – 2011 is the final section of the book. Cape Town and Joburg together compose the other half of the novel. Because the novel is set in different time periods the reminders of time period feels a bit excessive at times (the characters listen to cassettes and save files to floppy disks for example) but the reminders didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

The structure of the novel is a description in London of the characters meeting, their journey of coming together, their reflections on identity and South Africa, and then a transition to Cape Town and Joburg as a married couple. Germaine is white and not South African, and though she has visited her mother in law before they move, South Africa is largely a new place to her, and she has a lot of adjusting to do and learning to do about her new home. From language learning to understanding the politics of race to building community to developing an understanding how she can best contribute as an artist to her new home, there is much for Germaine to experience and adjust to, and the book chronicles it all. Martin too adjusts to living in a new post-apartheid South Africa, negotiates corporate life and racial identity, and has a shared but separate adjustment path from Germaine. The journey and voice of both characters is interesting and distinct, as are the journal entries of their son Zuko, who seems like a very believable child-like voice.

For more of this review: pleas see: https://seriouslyplanning.wordpress.c...

[Muthoni Muiruri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars ***

From the second they lay eyes on each other at a night club in London, it was all magic and fireworks. Martin O’Malley and Germaine Spencer fell into a whirlwind romance that did not abate 18yrs on. It was the kind of romance that makes you envious, makes you want to be in a relationship. It was damn near perfect! They are a mixed race couple; Martin a black UK born South African, adopted by an Irish father; and Germaine, the white, smart, confident and artsy English girl. This is the story of their coming together and their falling apart.

It starts with their 13 year old son Zuko having committed suicide on the eve of his 14th birthday. Germaine is broken and angry that he only left a note for Martin and did not care to leave one for her to explain his actions. She was, after all, the one who carried him in her womb for nine months and has been a constant in his life. The prologue of this book is intriguing, it draws you in and sets the tone for the rest of the story. I was dying to find out what happened to this seemingly perfect couple. What could have been so broken, leading to their son taking his own life? When did the chips start falling?

The book is set in 3 cities – London, where Germaine and Martin met and fell in love, Cape Town, where they first lived and tried to get their footing in the new Post-Apartheid South Africa and Joburg, where things begun falling apart. I loved that the book was set against the backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. The portrayal of race relations, of the economic, social and political changes that were rife at the time was very poignant. I loved how Zukiswa managed to tell the story of a family, breaking, and bring out so many themes while at it.

So what did I not like?

Full review here: www.somanami.co.ke

[Tumelo Motaung · Rating 4 out of 5]


If ever there's a book on our shelf that holds the record for Longest Actively Read Book, it is Zukiswa Wanner's London - Cape Town - Joburg. Read over an entire month, we picked it up the week after the last @nerdafrica book club meeting, where the group had so much fun going over the topics in the book that we grew green in envy and figured that the only way to flush that was to read it.

Having owned the copy for over a year, we didn't like the cover much, and after reading a few chapters was convinced that the storyline was a little too obvious. But also, after meeting Zuki a year ago we somewhat wanted the feeling of humble to wear off a little, not wanting the impression she left om us to cloud our judgement. This, I dare say, was a mistake on our part, because even though we weren't enthusiastic about where the story was going, the language was so relaxed and relatable that it wasn't easy to simply stop reading.
We would have read it in a go or two had we not started reading it during the 42nd week of our pregnancy. So instead we read it as we anxiously waited for contractions to knock down our door. And when they didn't we read it through our hospital stay, while waiting, while healing; and just when we thought it was over, we read it through the many doctor's appointments in the first two weeks of Atang's life. London - Cape Town - Joburg was great company.
For the first time in our African literature journey we read what is essentially a love story that doesn't go sour, isn't violent, or is marred by outside interference. Germaine and Martin are in love with each other from beginning to end. I'm not too crazy about the way they meet, but Zuki assures me that the soapy-like meeting is the only biographical aspect of the entire novel, so that must count for something, right?
The novel alternates narration between Martin, who is an investment banker, and Germaine, a ceremist, and spans over a period of about sixteen years from their meeting to the death of their son, Zuko. In that time, the couple, who start off living in London, relocate to Cape Town to be close to Martin's family, and later to Joburg live quiet, yet interesting lives that are shattered eventually by Zuko's suicide on his fourteenth birthday.
For a 300 odd pager, Zuki manages to gracefully fill all those pages with so much life, so much love, so much truth, that one can't help place themselves there, beside the two lovers and Zuko - when he starts keeping a journal, wondering where you were during the 2010 World Cup, or when Mbeki was outsted and Zuma came into power. We remember thinking - we also voted against the ANC so they would not get an outright majority and start pulling up their socks, go Germaine!
Because, my dear, no one does victimology like South Africans. The black people are taking our jobs according to write South Africans. And these white people can't sell back land they never bought according to black people. We pull race cards and reverse race cards. The country will probably elect Zuma as President because he too is a victim - after all, these Mbeki people were trying to trap him and keep him down. And South Africa loves a victim negate we're all victims, see?
What we loved most about the book is how you are always left to your minds devices, trying to figure out if Zuko is a Trevor Noah, wondering if he swims till the end, wondering how race was never an issue between Martin and Germaine when all you've ever felt like in these sort of relationships is a Tropical Fish (have always wanted to use that term since reading Mapule Mohulatsi's piece by the same title and then Doreen Baingana's, which inspired the latter and appeared in The Obituary Tango, The Caine Prize for African Writing 2006 selection).
There is a strong female presence in the book, which - together with Tsitsi Dangaremba's Nervous Conditions, Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, Yewande Omototso's The Woman Next Door, and Farida Karodia's is a breeze of fresh air in the long list of books we've read about abused, submissive women. Reading of women who rebel and fight their own battles in a sexist, misogynistic, patriarchal society (don't mean to sound like an angry feminist here) is just wonderful.
We love the supportive relationships that develop between women in the novel. Germaine working with the Nomakanjani ladies draws a wonderful picture of the type of cooperative relationships that actually work, where every member owns a part of the business and works hard to build it up. This was important for us because having spent years struggling to find people to partner with on a children's brand, it is also while reading this that we found our match.
As someone who has parented children who's father's had initially shown no interest in coparenting, you at some point wonder how you'd react when their fathers return some day and want to play happy family. Zuki here paints that picture, where Martin, already in his prime, meets his biological father. The result isn't peachy.

When Nkagiseng, was in hospital two years back treating dog bites, a five year old boy was admitted in the same ward. He had been raped by his mother's boyfriend. He had to pee and poop into a sac for eight months. Later on in our stay an eleven year old was also admitted. He had annal warts, and at night would cry, telling his mother to ask his transport driver who had done this to him. We were mortified. This book reminded us of these two boys, and of Taiye Selassie's The Sex Lives of African Girls, which left us wondering who we could trust with our children.
HOME DRENCHED
We South Africans rarely
discuss the weather.
Temperature, yes, the highs and lows
of daily fluctuations, talked out in seams of
exhaled complaints. But not
the weather.
Its ordinary wisdom is never analyzed.
We are trained by the glib
sunshine
to forgive too easily, we slide into optimism
as into a well-fitting trouser.
So when the storm comes we don’t have an umbrella.
And it comes unexpectedly: we admire the mass movement
of the stately cumulus, their darkening
from cream to
bilious purple pent-up rage.
Snake-tongue lightning licking the rooftops
streets awash with revenge
cars skidding over the unstable firmament
hail hurled in furious stones .
We are terminally surprised
when we get home,
drenched. I had no idea, we say
that you were so angry.
- Phillipa Yaa de Villiers


[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end left me speechless. Nice Read.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragedy occurs at the start of the book which then revolves around the build-up to the tragedy by retracing the relationship between Germaine and Martin across 3 cities. Well-written with interesting characters and acute observations on life in post-apartheid South Africa.

[Mpumi Sithole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, it was impossible to put the book down...The book starts with the Germaine and Martin’s marriage in crisis after their teenage son, Zuko kills himself in their Johannesburg home. Zuko’s suicide drives a wedge between Martin and Germaine and one wonders if their marriage will survive. As you continue reading the story travels back in time to London in the summer of 1994 when Martin and Germaine first met. Martin is still nursing a break-up from a girlfriend he believed was the love of his life, when Germaine walks up to him in a bar and delivers a cheesy pick up line of all time: “What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?”

They bump into each other again a couple of nights later, coincidentally, and their relationship takes off from there. They are opposites, Germaine is a headstrong feminist who is not afraid to say what’s on her mind while Martin is more laidback. Nevertheless they get along and they move in together, get married and have a child.

London – Cape Town – Joburg is also the story of a country, South Africa, undergoing change following the 1st democratic elections. When Germaine and Martin decide to move to Cape Town so that their son can be closer to his grandmother and his uncle, Liam, the story of the new democratic SA unravels and we experience the changes through their eyes — the ongoing racism, and the xenophobic violence.

Wanner has a very witty sense of writing and her characters are fun to explore, each one brings a different but much needed characteristic. The ending is almost unforeseeable, and takes you back to the beginning of the book. The book left me feeling that there has got to be more and wondering if Martin and Germaine ever managed to find their way back to each other. Their love story and life story is so inspiring

Zukiswa Wanner has done it again: London – Cape Town – Joburg is a cracking read...

[Phindi Maduna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a mixed-race couple’s move from London, to Cape Town and then to Jo’burg. It is told against the backdrop of the social, economic, and political changes that came about after the birth of democracy in South Africa in 1994. It touches on the themes of love, race, identity, politics, morality and ignorance (among others). The novel follows the experiences (told through narrations) of Martin O’Malley, a UK – born son of an exile with an adopted Irish surname; Germaine Spencer, his wife whom he met in London; and their son Zuko in post-Apartheid South Africa.

From the start I was hooked. Wanner makes good use of the prologue, to set the tone of the story and lure the reader in. The prologue is compelling. Many of my favourite novels have a compelling prologue. This one opens with a prologue that is equal parts detailed and vague, about the novel’s ending – the suicide of the main characters’ son. This compelled me to speculate about the ending while I was getting through the events that led up to it. I was so intrigued I couldn’t put the book down once I started. Thinking I had figured out the reason for the boy’s suicide, but obviously and quite gladly hadn’t, was one my favourite things about this book. It is only at the last few pages that I realised I never could have predicted what had pushed Zuko to commit suicide. This made the ending especially moving.

But that’s just about the beginning and the end, what comes in between is told from three very different perspectives. This reveals how multidimensional the post-Apartheid experience is, in particular, as well as how unique individuals’ experiences of the world are, in general.

[Razaq Mzale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was worth the day long investment I put in to finish it in one sitting. I loved the characters and the progression of the story. London was romance, Cape Town was building the life together, and Joburg was where everything went to shit. This book puts you on a journey following the lives of an interracial couple, a black South African man and a white British woman. The first half of the book is all romance, and it would have bored the shit out of me if it weren't so well written and the characters were not so hilarious and interesting. It ends off on a tone as dark as it begins(the prologue was anything but romantic) and I found myself misty eyed at the abrupt ending. You discover a horrifying truth and the book just ends. I'm going to be thinking about that ending for a while.

That being said, this book may not appeal to people unfamiliar with South Africa and Apartheid. The author takes little time to explain the political crises that occurred during and shortly after apartheid. Having lived in South Africa for four years I was able to relate to the historic events that are referenced in the novel's progression.

Still, the book is well written, has a great premise and is well worth the read. Loved it. I'd give it five stars if the London saga had not dragged on for so long. I

[Mercy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book... by an author who lives in Kenya! its a story about race, about love, and family.It broke my heart towards the end. the author is obviously talented. she weaves herself a story and gives the protagonist character in spite of their racial differences...

The book broke my heart towards the end.. but then again which book doesn't....Its portrayal on love was a bit unrealistic. Germaine and Martin's marriage seemed so ideal to a fault...

About the author; Zukiswa Wanner (born 1976) is a South African journalist and novelist, born in Zambia and now based in Kenya. Since 2006, when she published her first book, her novels have been shortlisted for awards including the South African Literary Awards (SALA) and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. In 2015 she won the K Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award for London Cape Town Joburg (2014). In 2014 Wanner was named on the Africalist of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define trends in African literature.

[Carolyne Gathuru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic end to such a fairy tale. The end made me go back to beginning and re-read Germaine and Martin's monologues. Very curious still about what was in the letter? What did Zuko say to his dad that had his mum have hatred for him? The theme around the need for family belonging exposes the blindness that comes with it? Is family and the need to fit in, belong, be anchored somewhere supercede all else?

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good read and interesting, however the last few pages were the shock that I wasn't prepared for and didn't really want. However I guess they were really the point of the story.

[Nonhlanhla Mbotini · Rating 4 out of 5]

That ending 😭😢

[Thatso · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prologue was heart jerking, and I was tempted to go turn to the last few chapters to read Lil Cadre's note. But I'm glad I didn't.

The story unravels itself in three different cities, following Martin and Germaine in their journey as lovers and the obstacles they face. You are left to wonder if their marriage can take on the most heart wrenching blow they are felt with.

Like one reviewer highlighted: in London it's all romance. In Cape Town we see Martin and Germaine grow into their relationship and as parents. In Jozi... well that is where it suddenly all goes South.

[Telana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like what the actual F***!!! That ending! Beautifully written. The the book plots the day to day activities of a loving couple, meeting in London, moving to CT and then ending up in Joburg. I just don't know how I feel about that ending - I didn't see it coming and it just didn't feel like that was the end. Which left me frustrated and wanting more.

[Muthoni Ngocho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. First off, the beginning and ending of this book is heart wrenching . Blissful moments in between, all the same. Zukiswa Wanner is now the latest addition to “my favorite authors” list

[Noe Lemuya · Rating 5 out of 5]

its an easy read nice story with a very sad twist of events left me feeling so sorry for the lead characters

[Kim Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story, background, characters and insights in this novel are exceptional.

It felt very 'first-drafty' though, and the plot twist at the end was poor and made no sense in the broader novel.

[Lizz Namukuru · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to put this book down. Is there a sequel?

[zuki madondo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first time reading a Zukiswa Wanner book. It was an OK, easy-to-read novel. I would rate it 2.5 out of 5.

[Grant Gunston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbingly real

[Timu Jele · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a work of art 📚

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gripping writing. No spoilers giving away the ending. I am enjoying reading books set in my backyard.

[Wendy Marube · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy read. Deceptively. It packs some twists and nuances along the way. Then there is the ending! That most certainly sneaked up on me at a point where I was about to write off the book as too happy.

[Cynthia Amondi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to love this book :-( I really couldn't find any meat to bit into. It starts really well then just goes on and on and on mixing a little bit of chicklit and some race issues, some politics but never any single issue or issues to anchor it all together.

[Tiah]

- So she is an arty type. I've always assumed that lot are all flower children with vacuous looks in their eyes from too much marijuana; straggly bad hair because they are too busy pondering on 'art' to shampoo, condition, and go to the salon; and wearing tie-dye outfits made of natural fibre because anything else is 'cruel to animals.' I guess I was wrong. -

- 'Incidentally, anything you don't eat?' 'No,' she answers. 'You an throw me in with the dog and cat eaters and I won't starve. You can also throw me in with the beer drinkers, whisky drinkers and vodka drinkers and I will party. I'm congenial like that.' -

- What was it with the South Africans and these lip kisses? -

- No, man. What's wrong with you? Are you truly colour blind? Around you are white people eating dinner and having drinks. Don't you notice that apart from the waiters, our table is the only one with black people? -

[Eja Batbold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well narrated story, loved both characters and their voices. A bit too idealistic and unrealistically romantic which is perfect because I cannot wait to find out their next lovely stories. I could not help smiling during the first half of the book and I loved how accurately she describes the locations and colors of the places. Gugulethu, for example, is absolutely a vibrant township and it only made me happier when she described the culture shock about paying for her own parking space to a totally stranger for not sketching on her car and etc... Overall it was very exciting read but the story is bit too flawed and I especially hated the ending... Liam, fucking Liam!