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Love Marry Kill
In South Africa, homicides are sometimes for insurance. But sometimes the insurance is just an added bonus.
In Bryanston, Johannesburg, one couple has loved, married and is plodding on after surviving a betrayal. In Fourways, Johannesburg, a man is holding on to a secret that he cannot share with his wife.
Then on a rainy summer’s night, as if conspired by the universe, the lives of the two couples are forever changed. An instant connection leads to a safe and healing love, one that not even a designated WhatsApp family group or attempts at seduction can extinguish. But love is messy and life is complicated.
And when a stylish man with a prosthetic right arm shows up brandishing a .44 Magnum, the lovers may just discover how some great love stories end. That sometimes ‘till death do us part’ has a different meaning to different people.
In Bryanston, Johannesburg, one couple has loved, married and is plodding on after surviving a betrayal. In Fourways, Johannesburg, a man is holding on to a secret that he cannot share with his wife.
Then on a rainy summer’s night, as if conspired by the universe, the lives of the two couples are forever changed. An instant connection leads to a safe and healing love, one that not even a designated WhatsApp family group or attempts at seduction can extinguish. But love is messy and life is complicated.
And when a stylish man with a prosthetic right arm shows up brandishing a .44 Magnum, the lovers may just discover how some great love stories end. That sometimes ‘till death do us part’ has a different meaning to different people.
- GenresSouth Africa
256 pages, Softcover
Published January 1, 2024
2 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Zukiswa Wanner
30 books83 followersBorn 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.
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.
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February 12, 2025#LoveMarryKill – Zukiswa Wanner
#Kwela
‘Till death do us part’ can be – and often is – arranged.
Two wronged spouses. Two perceived culprits. One hitman, wearing a fedora and a .44 Magnum. All that remains is the spinning of the coin to determine who will die first.
Owami regards herself as an exile brat. Daughter to an exile turned ambassador, she turned eighteen in time to vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections. As first-person narrator she reveals her life story chronologically, placing emphasis on the reality of growing up in a patriarchal society, and the influence thereof on her marriage to her unnamed lover, first referred to as ‘First-boyfriend-who-becomes-husband’, but eventually as ‘Love Rat’.
Akani grew up in the shadow of an abusive father. That was, until the day that his mother proved the truth of the axioma ‘Striking a woman is like striking a rock’. The feminine strength displayed by his mother, became something that he searched for in all women, including his wife, Tumelo.
This novel is both a love story and a literary critique on several social phenomena, including the misogynist lie that ‘… women are responsible for men’s behaviour’ (15), the theoretical reasons why relationships fail, such as ‘Someone falls in love with the potential someone exhibits…and they fall out of love when that potential is never fully realized’ (90), the human inclination to change, ‘..because humans are bound to grow and not always in the way you want them to’ (90), betrayal, loss, parenting, conflict, ‘…the absence of war is not peace…’ (136), and friendship.
Despite the first-person narrative, the reader is not privy to all information. In the opening scene the seed for the murder-for-hire is planted, but the identity of the intended victims is not revealed until later, and when it finally is, the reader is conflicted between what is generally accepted as morally right and wrong, and the grey area that is life.
#Uitdieperdsebek
#Kwela
‘Till death do us part’ can be – and often is – arranged.
Two wronged spouses. Two perceived culprits. One hitman, wearing a fedora and a .44 Magnum. All that remains is the spinning of the coin to determine who will die first.
Owami regards herself as an exile brat. Daughter to an exile turned ambassador, she turned eighteen in time to vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections. As first-person narrator she reveals her life story chronologically, placing emphasis on the reality of growing up in a patriarchal society, and the influence thereof on her marriage to her unnamed lover, first referred to as ‘First-boyfriend-who-becomes-husband’, but eventually as ‘Love Rat’.
Akani grew up in the shadow of an abusive father. That was, until the day that his mother proved the truth of the axioma ‘Striking a woman is like striking a rock’. The feminine strength displayed by his mother, became something that he searched for in all women, including his wife, Tumelo.
This novel is both a love story and a literary critique on several social phenomena, including the misogynist lie that ‘… women are responsible for men’s behaviour’ (15), the theoretical reasons why relationships fail, such as ‘Someone falls in love with the potential someone exhibits…and they fall out of love when that potential is never fully realized’ (90), the human inclination to change, ‘..because humans are bound to grow and not always in the way you want them to’ (90), betrayal, loss, parenting, conflict, ‘…the absence of war is not peace…’ (136), and friendship.
Despite the first-person narrative, the reader is not privy to all information. In the opening scene the seed for the murder-for-hire is planted, but the identity of the intended victims is not revealed until later, and when it finally is, the reader is conflicted between what is generally accepted as morally right and wrong, and the grey area that is life.
#Uitdieperdsebek
November 11, 2024
True page turner…
September 11, 2024
Yummy, yummy, yummy!!!
LOVE MARRY KILL is not #tellsomeonemoment. You have to read it to get it. In a nutshell, a tiny tiny bird's eye view is that two people fall in love, but they are both married to other people...
Yep, the ish hits the fan. Die poppe begin dans (SAfricans will get this popular Afrikaans idiom!)
LOVE MARRY KILL is a modern tragedy, an epic love story with that Ould World charm. With the hallmarks of a Shakespearean tragedy complete with a tragic hero, Akani, and a femme-fatal of Greek mythological proportions, Owami, set against a contemporary South African backdrop.
"That's the way love is", Ten City
I am utterly satisfied.
LOVE MARRY KILL is not #tellsomeonemoment. You have to read it to get it. In a nutshell, a tiny tiny bird's eye view is that two people fall in love, but they are both married to other people...
Yep, the ish hits the fan. Die poppe begin dans (SAfricans will get this popular Afrikaans idiom!)
LOVE MARRY KILL is a modern tragedy, an epic love story with that Ould World charm. With the hallmarks of a Shakespearean tragedy complete with a tragic hero, Akani, and a femme-fatal of Greek mythological proportions, Owami, set against a contemporary South African backdrop.
"That's the way love is", Ten City
I am utterly satisfied.
October 18, 2024
Owami and Akani drew you into their world and make you introspect. This novel was a true page-turner, I was so invested in the story. I felt bad for wanting to know what happens next, because it means that I may be morally implicated.
Wanner with humour and astute commentary writes a love story filled with lots of twists and turns.
Personally, I think want a sequel because that cliffhanger at the end?!? Nope! Nope!
I’d love to see this on screen. It has the best tempo for that!
Wanner with humour and astute commentary writes a love story filled with lots of twists and turns.
Personally, I think want a sequel because that cliffhanger at the end?!? Nope! Nope!
I’d love to see this on screen. It has the best tempo for that!
June 12, 2025
2.5 stars. An OK book with some great plot ideas, a little flat on the execution and VERY frustrating ending. The pacing was too slow in Part 1 and too fast in Part 2, which made for a unbalanced plot with little coherence for some themes trying to be explored. A mix of 1st and 3rd person narration which might disconnect readers from the characters but overall a decent read.
April 15, 2025
For me, "Love, Marry, Kill" is more of a romance story, despite its elements of historical fiction and other genres.
The book begins during the apartheid era in Southern Africa and highlights key themes such as marriage, sex, feminism, grief, and racism. It follows the lives of Owami and Akani from their childhood through their teenage years and adulthood, finally depicting their experiences within their marriages.
Just as Owami wonders why heartbreaks often lead to a loss of appetite, I truly want to know why some African marriages are characterized by deceit, betrayal, and suffering. Why should one have to pray for a cheating husband? Is it solely for food and shelter provided by a husband that one must endure pain, heartache, and suffering? Can we be released from these shackles?
I love the gentle and beautiful way the author has highlighted grief. I find that in our African society, men seldom express their emotions openly and grieve for their loved ones. This is evident with Akani's dad and Akani himself. Can we allow our men that space to cry? They are human.
As a radical feminist, I love how this book has highlighted feminism. Owami's transformation from a woman afraid of losing a marriage to finding happiness with Akani is what I advocate for, whether it's unconventional or not. Who established the rules for what is conventional and what is not? I also love Naledi, such a goddess, teach them even if they know
Overall, I loved this book.
The book begins during the apartheid era in Southern Africa and highlights key themes such as marriage, sex, feminism, grief, and racism. It follows the lives of Owami and Akani from their childhood through their teenage years and adulthood, finally depicting their experiences within their marriages.
Just as Owami wonders why heartbreaks often lead to a loss of appetite, I truly want to know why some African marriages are characterized by deceit, betrayal, and suffering. Why should one have to pray for a cheating husband? Is it solely for food and shelter provided by a husband that one must endure pain, heartache, and suffering? Can we be released from these shackles?
I love the gentle and beautiful way the author has highlighted grief. I find that in our African society, men seldom express their emotions openly and grieve for their loved ones. This is evident with Akani's dad and Akani himself. Can we allow our men that space to cry? They are human.
As a radical feminist, I love how this book has highlighted feminism. Owami's transformation from a woman afraid of losing a marriage to finding happiness with Akani is what I advocate for, whether it's unconventional or not. Who established the rules for what is conventional and what is not? I also love Naledi, such a goddess, teach them even if they know
Overall, I loved this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
This book made me uncomfortable in the best way. Love, Marry, Kill asks you to sit with the kind of love that is inconvenient, morally complicated, and deeply human.
I found myself rooting for Owami and Akani even while feeling genuine sadness for the spouses left behind. That tension is what made the story feel real. There are no clear villains here, only people doing their best with feelings that arrive at the wrong time. It sounds wrong, yet somehow feels right, and that contradiction stays with you long after you turn the last page.
What I appreciated most is that the love in this story is not romanticized or easy. It is chosen consciously and at a cost. Zukiswa Wanner handles this with honesty and restraint, allowing the reader to feel both hope and grief at the same time.
This is a story for anyone who believes in love but understands that loving well does not always come neatly wrapped. Thought provoking, emotionally layered, and quietly powerful.
I found myself rooting for Owami and Akani even while feeling genuine sadness for the spouses left behind. That tension is what made the story feel real. There are no clear villains here, only people doing their best with feelings that arrive at the wrong time. It sounds wrong, yet somehow feels right, and that contradiction stays with you long after you turn the last page.
What I appreciated most is that the love in this story is not romanticized or easy. It is chosen consciously and at a cost. Zukiswa Wanner handles this with honesty and restraint, allowing the reader to feel both hope and grief at the same time.
This is a story for anyone who believes in love but understands that loving well does not always come neatly wrapped. Thought provoking, emotionally layered, and quietly powerful.
September 24, 2025
Page-turner! Engaging from start to finish.
This book dives into the messiness of infidelity. It’s never black or white, but full of greys. The emotions, the friendships, and the betrayals all felt so real.
It makes you ask: whose side do you take? The cheating friend or family member? The betrayed partner? And who is really the victim?
I was, of course, mad at Owami, not so much for her cheating, but because she chose to be with a married man and hurt another woman in the same way she had been hurt by her husband who cheated.
Yet that frustration only made the story more gripping.
The only letdown? The abrupt, unsatisfying ending. Otherwise, it could have been a solid 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book dives into the messiness of infidelity. It’s never black or white, but full of greys. The emotions, the friendships, and the betrayals all felt so real.
It makes you ask: whose side do you take? The cheating friend or family member? The betrayed partner? And who is really the victim?
I was, of course, mad at Owami, not so much for her cheating, but because she chose to be with a married man and hurt another woman in the same way she had been hurt by her husband who cheated.
Yet that frustration only made the story more gripping.
The only letdown? The abrupt, unsatisfying ending. Otherwise, it could have been a solid 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 8, 2025
South African literature often feels strikingly familiar—perhaps due to our shared Bantu heritage. At times, it’s like reading Kenyan lives through a different lens. This particular book stood out: sharply written, genuinely funny, and deeply immersive. The characters felt real.
What stayed with me most was its subtle but powerful message on identity. It reinforced the importance of cultivating a strong sense of self—beyond relationships or marriage (when that time comes). That way, in moments of heartbreak, I’m not left redefining myself from scratch.
What stayed with me most was its subtle but powerful message on identity. It reinforced the importance of cultivating a strong sense of self—beyond relationships or marriage (when that time comes). That way, in moments of heartbreak, I’m not left redefining myself from scratch.
July 15, 2025
Page turner. Fast paced saga of entanglements closely mirroring the state of relationships in modern day Africa. Triggering for the romantically wounded, but equally difficult to put down. I found the cliffhanger ending, while unsatisfying, quite a fitting choice. Given the moral dilemma that Wanner spun up, this winds up as kind of a choose your own ending scenario where the fate of the characters lies in your hands as the reader.
July 17, 2025
Very readable and a snapshot of southern Africa between the nineteen nineties to the two thousands. But the love story didn't convince me, the characters got on my nerves, my copy had a bunch of typos and a whole chapter reprinted and I didn't like the first person narration. It was funny though, in an amusing page-turning way. My first from Zukiswa Wanner and I'm intrigued but only slightly compelled.
April 17, 2025
This book kept me up for most of the nights because i could not put it down , its just the way the characters are written that makes it so damn good , did not give it five stars coz of the ending like why did it end that way i wanted more 😭😭😭😭
May 13, 2025
Beautifully written, what is described as a wholesome piece. Clean. Think; Family and familiar, coming of age, love and infidelity, drama and suspense, loss and grief and a splash of national history and nuances here and there.
December 10, 2025
It starts out quite slow and builds up well from the middle towards the end. I stayed up to finish it because I had to.
Special mention to Zukiswa for the humour, because I chuckled and laughed a little.
And is it so bad that I really didn't appreciate that ending :(
Special mention to Zukiswa for the humour, because I chuckled and laughed a little.
And is it so bad that I really didn't appreciate that ending :(
March 19, 2025
Loved it! Every page was worth reading. Loved the font too, made for an easy ready. Struggled a bit with the local dialects used.
July 16, 2025
Interesting concept but I struggled to get into it.
August 9, 2025
Page turner, well written. The ending would have been better tho
January 8, 2026
it was funny emotional and real!!!
imagine being called Government by your spouse😅 and your husband naming your kid after his 'lover'
imagine being called Government by your spouse😅 and your husband naming your kid after his 'lover'
March 9, 2025
Love marry kill, what can I say. This has been a rollercoaster of a book. It’s a slow burn in the beginning but half way through all the thought processes made sense and you’ll rush to the end of the book that’s for sure!
One thing that left me wanting more was the ending, like what ? Can’t leave me there, definitely leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions.
One thing that left me wanting more was the ending, like what ? Can’t leave me there, definitely leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews