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The Finish Line
Brenda has always worked hard to fit in – from her school days, when her talent in athletics gave her access to a richer world, to marriage to her soulmate, which bound her to that world.
It’s hard to know how much of her discomfort comes from the ongoing presence of Denver in her life. From the time when they were the two fastest girls in the athletics team, through years of marriage and parenthood, Denver has always offered friendship, worthy competition … and simmering resentment.
When Brenda realises that Denver is a threat to her family’s well-being, there’s nothing she won’t do to protect them. And Denver will do anything to protect herself. After years of rivalry, who will cross the finish line first?
It’s hard to know how much of her discomfort comes from the ongoing presence of Denver in her life. From the time when they were the two fastest girls in the athletics team, through years of marriage and parenthood, Denver has always offered friendship, worthy competition … and simmering resentment.
When Brenda realises that Denver is a threat to her family’s well-being, there’s nothing she won’t do to protect them. And Denver will do anything to protect herself. After years of rivalry, who will cross the finish line first?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2024
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Gail Schimmel
10 books105 followersGAIL SCHIMMEL has been writing stories since she could put pen to paper. By day she is a qualified attorney, and the CEO of the South African Advertising Regulatory Board. But she still makes sure that to write!
In South Africa, Gail published a children’s book, Claude & Millie, in 2007, under her married name Gail van Onselen. Her first
adult novel, Marriage Vows, was published in 2008, by Kwela Books. Whatever Happened to the Cowley Twins? was published by Kwela in June 2013. The Park, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2017 and The Accident in 2019 (The Accident was released internationally as The Aftermath in 2021). Two Month was published in South Africa in 2020.
Gail is also half of the writer Katie Gayle.
Gail's newest book - Never Tell A Lie - will be available internationally on 30 November 2021.
Gail lives in Johannesburg with her husband, two children, two naughty dogs and one very very old cat.
In South Africa, Gail published a children’s book, Claude & Millie, in 2007, under her married name Gail van Onselen. Her first
adult novel, Marriage Vows, was published in 2008, by Kwela Books. Whatever Happened to the Cowley Twins? was published by Kwela in June 2013. The Park, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2017 and The Accident in 2019 (The Accident was released internationally as The Aftermath in 2021). Two Month was published in South Africa in 2020.
Gail is also half of the writer Katie Gayle.
Gail's newest book - Never Tell A Lie - will be available internationally on 30 November 2021.
Gail lives in Johannesburg with her husband, two children, two naughty dogs and one very very old cat.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 28, 2024
Gail never disappoints. This one's a real goody.🥰
August 21, 2024
Gail has literally outdone herself!! Thoughts while reading:
- Idk what I expected going into this but this was not it (compliment)
- I absolutely love how all the characters are either very bad, very good or rather ironically, very neutral (looking at you Linda and Colin)
- Denver is a victim of circumstance but ha.a sana I need her to stop??? Most complex character but even with her complexities she’s a villain. Halfway through.
- I need Weston to have more opinion. You can’t keep being “if thats what you want”. Like say what you think or would prefer??
- Okay the generational chaos?? These people need to get a grip.
- I take back what I said about objectively good and bad characters😭
- THAT ENDING???😭 HAIBO HAIBO
- I love it so much because it just makes sense!! Wow 👏🏾
- 5 Stars!
- Idk what I expected going into this but this was not it (compliment)
- I absolutely love how all the characters are either very bad, very good or rather ironically, very neutral (looking at you Linda and Colin)
- Denver is a victim of circumstance but ha.a sana I need her to stop??? Most complex character but even with her complexities she’s a villain. Halfway through.
- I need Weston to have more opinion. You can’t keep being “if thats what you want”. Like say what you think or would prefer??
- Okay the generational chaos?? These people need to get a grip.
- I take back what I said about objectively good and bad characters😭
- THAT ENDING???😭 HAIBO HAIBO
- I love it so much because it just makes sense!! Wow 👏🏾
- 5 Stars!
June 18, 2024
This may just be my fave fave after The Aftermath.
I am loving Brenda so much right now ♥️
I am loving Brenda so much right now ♥️
January 29, 2026
Tense and gripping, with a very familiar South African suburban setting.
Read
July 4, 2024We’ve all met them, the friend who turns out to be toxic, resentful, competitive. Who, for some reason interrupts our lives on a regular and unnerving basis, and we let them in. But what happens when that ‘friend’ goes one step too far, threatening a secure and loving family? Mothers are lionesses when it comes to their kids and so it is with Brenda Critchley, Gail Schimmel’s latest protagonist in her seventh novel ‘The Finish Line’.
Dubbed the queen of domestic noir, Schimmel unpacks the viciousness that lies beneath the surface of Johannesburg suburbia in this measured, eminently readable story. Then she shakes you out of your complacency…
Brenda has worked hard to fit in to the Joburg scene. Her parents are not part of the wealthy elite. They are so focused on running that their daughter Brenda is a bit of a by-product to their lives. And Brenda adapts. But she has inherited the running gene, getting her a scholarship to a very smart girl’s school as a boarder. Turns out she‘s the fastest girl in the school, much to the chagrin of day-girl Denver who was the school’s star and to the delight of her coterie of friends, The Alphabet Girls, Brenda’s staunchest allies throughout her life. But Denver’s homelife is certainly not ideal, her wealthy parents are competitive, and cruel – traits she has inherited – she will stop at nothing to satisfy her needs. ‘Denver gets what she wants – always’ She befriends Brenda, slyly putting her down, intercepting her life, stealing her ideas, a sort of Jekyll and Hyde friend who Brenda tolerates, drops and then befriends again.
It’s a merry-go=round of slights throughout their lives, yet Brenda remains the nice girl, finding her fit when she marries her soulmate, becomes a doctor, produces her children. She understands the veiled kindnesses, knowing the repercussions to come. She tolerates, finds excuses, accepts - until her family are threatened – and she doesn’t!
It’s a spiral that will leave you gasping - a finish line that is oh so sweet.
Schimmel always brings us good characterization, while Branda is kind, she has a tough, driven core. Maturing from schoolgirls to mid-life, the reader grows with each person. Experiencing the joys, sorrows, frustrations and anger of the twisted trajectory. The unacceptable social behaviour is unpacked and laid wide open. Schimmel takes her pen and uses a it as a torch to shine a light on the damaged, unfulfilled people to whom wealth and status are more important than tolerance, family and friends. She gets under the veneers, exposing the wrinkles, until the cracks become terrifying ravines. Another great read to keep on my bookshelf.
Dubbed the queen of domestic noir, Schimmel unpacks the viciousness that lies beneath the surface of Johannesburg suburbia in this measured, eminently readable story. Then she shakes you out of your complacency…
Brenda has worked hard to fit in to the Joburg scene. Her parents are not part of the wealthy elite. They are so focused on running that their daughter Brenda is a bit of a by-product to their lives. And Brenda adapts. But she has inherited the running gene, getting her a scholarship to a very smart girl’s school as a boarder. Turns out she‘s the fastest girl in the school, much to the chagrin of day-girl Denver who was the school’s star and to the delight of her coterie of friends, The Alphabet Girls, Brenda’s staunchest allies throughout her life. But Denver’s homelife is certainly not ideal, her wealthy parents are competitive, and cruel – traits she has inherited – she will stop at nothing to satisfy her needs. ‘Denver gets what she wants – always’ She befriends Brenda, slyly putting her down, intercepting her life, stealing her ideas, a sort of Jekyll and Hyde friend who Brenda tolerates, drops and then befriends again.
It’s a merry-go=round of slights throughout their lives, yet Brenda remains the nice girl, finding her fit when she marries her soulmate, becomes a doctor, produces her children. She understands the veiled kindnesses, knowing the repercussions to come. She tolerates, finds excuses, accepts - until her family are threatened – and she doesn’t!
It’s a spiral that will leave you gasping - a finish line that is oh so sweet.
Schimmel always brings us good characterization, while Branda is kind, she has a tough, driven core. Maturing from schoolgirls to mid-life, the reader grows with each person. Experiencing the joys, sorrows, frustrations and anger of the twisted trajectory. The unacceptable social behaviour is unpacked and laid wide open. Schimmel takes her pen and uses a it as a torch to shine a light on the damaged, unfulfilled people to whom wealth and status are more important than tolerance, family and friends. She gets under the veneers, exposing the wrinkles, until the cracks become terrifying ravines. Another great read to keep on my bookshelf.
June 1, 2024
I’ve enjoyed all Gail Schimmel’s books but I think this one might be my favourite. The relationship between Brenda & Denver is one that makes this book a real page turner. Definitely the queen of domestic noir!
May 25, 2025
On Saturday, 24 May 2025, I headed to the Kingsmead Book Fair and sat in on a thriller writers' session where Gail Schimmel unpacked her latest novel, The Finish Line. I started reading it at 11 a.m. on Sunday and finished it three hours later.
Here’s why you should get your copy soon.
This Is Domestic Noir — Jozi Style
Gail Schimmel plants The Finish Line firmly in the genre of domestic noir — a psychological thriller that asks: what happens when danger lives not outside the home, but inside it?
Here, it’s not a murderer in the shadows or a stranger at the door. It’s the woman you’ve known since childhood. The friend you’ve called “family.” The one who smiles wide — and cuts deeper.
Brenda and Denver’s friendship is the engine of this book. It runs on resentment, competitiveness, and emotional manipulation. Schimmel uses familiar spaces — school, suburban homes, PTA meetings, coffee shops — to turn up the tension. It’s Johannesburg’s northern suburbs as a stage for personal implosion, told through the eyes of a working mother of two, a practicing GP, and her “best friend” from school.
Brenda: Straddling Class, Belonging, and Boundaries
Brenda, our narrator, was born to marathon-running parents in a modest home. Her smarts and athletic ability earn her a scholarship to an elite private school. There, she meets Denver — and starts a friendship that will define, and nearly destroy, her life.
Brenda’s relationship to privilege is one of conditional access — she’s accepted, but always aware she’s not of that world. Her self-doubt is quietly internalized, and that’s what makes her vulnerable to Denver’s barbed affection.
She marries young — to her high school sweetheart — and forms true, grounded friendships with a circle of long-time women. A circle that all see Denver clearly, even as Brenda keeps giving her more chances.
Denver: The Smiling Threat
During the panel discussion, Gail Schimmel said: “We all know someone like Denver.” And we do — unfortunately. The one who is obsessed with being the best, whose identity is built on external performance, and who grew up in a family where being seen as perfect mattered more than being loved.
Denver is domestic noir's dream character: she doesn’t shout, she simmers. She’s not a villain in the obvious sense — she’s worse. She’s the friend who frames cruelty as kindness, the one who makes you question your reality.
She’s polished, successful, admired — and utterly toxic.
The Cost of Staying Silent
What makes this book burn is how believable Brenda’s loyalty is. Even as her friends warn her. Even as her family suffers. Even as stories about Brenda begin circulating — and that awful line, “but you’re not that,” rears its head.
Maybe that’s what The Finish Line captures best: the slow corrosion that happens when someone chips away at you just enough to make you doubt your own worth. And how women — taught to be nice, loyal, and non-confrontational — often take far too long to say, “Enough.”
A Global Story in South African Skin
Yes, this story is set in Johannesburg, with 90s racial and class dynamics humming beneath the surface. But it could unfold anywhere — London’s leafy suburbs, Sydney’s North Shore, LA’s gated communities. Because the themes — competition, class anxiety, the emotional minefields of female friendship — are universal.
When Denver Becomes Real
“Luckily, I do not have a Denver in my life now. But I did.”
The beauty — and danger — of this story is that it’s not unique. Every woman who’s had that friend will pause. Will feel the ache. And maybe, like Brenda, will find herself finally reaching the finish line — not of a race, but of a friendship that never deserved the distance run.
Hindsight may be 20/20. But when you’re in the middle of a toxic friendship — or dealing with the undeserved aftermath — self-doubt seeps in.
This story, delivered with terrifying ease, gives you pause. It’s a sharp reminder of how those friendships twist our perceptions and destabilize our self-worth. It’s also a tribute to the people who see the forest for the trees — and who have the courage to tell you what you can’t yet see.
An extraordinary novel. A must-read. But be prepared.
Here’s why you should get your copy soon.
This Is Domestic Noir — Jozi Style
Gail Schimmel plants The Finish Line firmly in the genre of domestic noir — a psychological thriller that asks: what happens when danger lives not outside the home, but inside it?
Here, it’s not a murderer in the shadows or a stranger at the door. It’s the woman you’ve known since childhood. The friend you’ve called “family.” The one who smiles wide — and cuts deeper.
Brenda and Denver’s friendship is the engine of this book. It runs on resentment, competitiveness, and emotional manipulation. Schimmel uses familiar spaces — school, suburban homes, PTA meetings, coffee shops — to turn up the tension. It’s Johannesburg’s northern suburbs as a stage for personal implosion, told through the eyes of a working mother of two, a practicing GP, and her “best friend” from school.
Brenda: Straddling Class, Belonging, and Boundaries
Brenda, our narrator, was born to marathon-running parents in a modest home. Her smarts and athletic ability earn her a scholarship to an elite private school. There, she meets Denver — and starts a friendship that will define, and nearly destroy, her life.
Brenda’s relationship to privilege is one of conditional access — she’s accepted, but always aware she’s not of that world. Her self-doubt is quietly internalized, and that’s what makes her vulnerable to Denver’s barbed affection.
She marries young — to her high school sweetheart — and forms true, grounded friendships with a circle of long-time women. A circle that all see Denver clearly, even as Brenda keeps giving her more chances.
Denver: The Smiling Threat
During the panel discussion, Gail Schimmel said: “We all know someone like Denver.” And we do — unfortunately. The one who is obsessed with being the best, whose identity is built on external performance, and who grew up in a family where being seen as perfect mattered more than being loved.
Denver is domestic noir's dream character: she doesn’t shout, she simmers. She’s not a villain in the obvious sense — she’s worse. She’s the friend who frames cruelty as kindness, the one who makes you question your reality.
She’s polished, successful, admired — and utterly toxic.
The Cost of Staying Silent
What makes this book burn is how believable Brenda’s loyalty is. Even as her friends warn her. Even as her family suffers. Even as stories about Brenda begin circulating — and that awful line, “but you’re not that,” rears its head.
Maybe that’s what The Finish Line captures best: the slow corrosion that happens when someone chips away at you just enough to make you doubt your own worth. And how women — taught to be nice, loyal, and non-confrontational — often take far too long to say, “Enough.”
A Global Story in South African Skin
Yes, this story is set in Johannesburg, with 90s racial and class dynamics humming beneath the surface. But it could unfold anywhere — London’s leafy suburbs, Sydney’s North Shore, LA’s gated communities. Because the themes — competition, class anxiety, the emotional minefields of female friendship — are universal.
When Denver Becomes Real
“Luckily, I do not have a Denver in my life now. But I did.”
The beauty — and danger — of this story is that it’s not unique. Every woman who’s had that friend will pause. Will feel the ache. And maybe, like Brenda, will find herself finally reaching the finish line — not of a race, but of a friendship that never deserved the distance run.
Hindsight may be 20/20. But when you’re in the middle of a toxic friendship — or dealing with the undeserved aftermath — self-doubt seeps in.
This story, delivered with terrifying ease, gives you pause. It’s a sharp reminder of how those friendships twist our perceptions and destabilize our self-worth. It’s also a tribute to the people who see the forest for the trees — and who have the courage to tell you what you can’t yet see.
An extraordinary novel. A must-read. But be prepared.
July 5, 2024
Once again, I found one of Ms Schimmel's books so relateable. It is a real pleasure to read such a well written book based in my home town. Loved it.
August 3, 2024
Perfectly diverting read about the complicated, toxic relationships girlfriends have. Gail Schimmel writes with enviable ease, especially dialogue.
[book club, mignon]
[book club, mignon]
March 20, 2025
Was mostly enjoyable and relatable in terms of the political background, but a somewhat strange ending which left me disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews