Cape Fever

by Nadia Davids

“It’s a stunner.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From award-winning South African author Nadia Davids comes a gothic psychological thriller set in the 1920s, where a young maid finds herself entangled with the spirits of a decaying manor and the secrets of its enigmatic owner.

I come highly recommended to Mrs. Hattingh through sentences I tell her I cannot read.

The year is 1920, in a small, unnamed city in a colonial empire. Soraya Matas believes she has found the ideal job as a personal maid to the eccentric Mrs. Hattingh, whose beautiful, decaying home is not far from The Muslim Quarter where Soraya lives with her parents. As Soraya settles into her new role, she discovers that the house is alive with spirits.

While Mrs. Hattingh eagerly awaits her son’s visit from London, she offers to help Soraya stay in touch with her fiancé Nour by writing him letters on her behalf. So begins a strange weekly meeting where Soraya dictates and Mrs. Hattingh writes—a ritual that binds the two women to one another and eventually threatens the sanity of both.

Cape Fever is a masterful blend of gothic themes, folk-tales, and psychological suspense, reminiscent of works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Daphne du Maurier, and Soraya Matas is an unforgettable narrator, whose story of love and grief, is also a chilling exploration of class and the long reach of history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Historical

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2025

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cape fear is a book that has a little bit of everything. A gothic setting in a dilapidated house, mystery, and ghosts. It is perfect for this time of year.
This book is set in South Africa in the 1920s. The main character is Soraya, who is a young Muslim woman. She is employed as a maid to an English woman. Mrs. Hattingh lives alone in the house. Her son is away in London.
Soraya has a fiancé who she misses very much. Mrs. Hattingh assumes Soraya is uneducated. She pretends not to be able to read or write. Mrs. Hattingh offers to write letters to her fiancé, Noor. She reads the letters to Soraya that she writes to Noor and his correspondence. She never lets Soraya see the letters. Mrs. Hattingh is a very manipulative woman, and doesn’t let Soraya leave her home.
Soraya is a well developed character. You can feel her pain. Mrs. Hattingh is a woman of privilege and has power over Soraya as she knows Soraya needs this job. She is a very lonely woman. You almost feel sorry for her as she waits for her son to return.
This is a slow moving novel that is beautifully written. It is intricately woven with historical facts and fantasy. There are also secrets to be discovered.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this advanced readers copy.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

1920’s colonial Africa, on the Cape.
Young Soraya goes to work as a housecleaner/cook for a lonely,older, and white, Mrs. Hattingh who lives in an old and haunted mansion.
She finds she must be a live-in… Mrs Hattingh says she cannot spare her taking a day off every week to go see her family, a close knit family who live in the muslim quarter.
As time goes on tensions rise between the two women, situations you will read about where Mrs. Hattingh takes liberties interfering in Soraya’s life.
It becomes claustrophobic, with layers of psychological intrigue amid themes of class, race, love, grief, and haunting.
There is manipulation and secrets, and suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the gifted ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

[The Speculative Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging prose and a mysterious, claustrophobic setting create tremendous suspense in this excellent historical thriller by Nadia Davids.

Set in the 1920s within an unnamed colonial empire, Cape Fever immerses us in the inner turmoil of Soraya Matas, an overworked and underappreciated housemaid. Davids deftly shapes Soraya into a more-than-meets-the-eye protagonist, one whose thoughtfulness and quiet wisdom are clear to us even as her devious employer, Ms. Hattingh, demeans and degrades her. As Soraya’s circumstances grow more perilous, she’s visited by the ghosts that haunt the house.

Davids weaves the supernatural seamlessly into a clear-eyed exploration of class and culture, guiding the story toward an expected yet deeply satisfying twist.

My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Edelweiss for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky

[Nikki Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gothic psychological thriller set in the 1920s, where a young maid finds herself entangled with the spirits of a decaying manor and the secrets of its enigmatic owner. Soraya Matas believes she has found the ideal job as a personal maid to the eccentric Mrs. Hattingh. Or so it seems.

This was supposed to be a creepy gothic horror novel that I actually found pretty tame. It probably didn’t help that I had just finished This House Will Feed right before it, which was amazing. I found myself thinking about other things while I was reading. It was pretty slow.

However, I do think it would be a good fit for fans of thrillers or people who want to dip their toes into the horror genre.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[OutlawPoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I get into specifics, I'll start by saying that this is a beautifully written little book. It's atmospheric and there's so much emotion simmering under the surface. It's a quick read that still manages to completely transport you to another time and place.

And I'm going to step into the fray here...

Race, religion, culture and colonialism are definitely big themes here.

The things our main character dealt with infuriated me. Part of me thought she handled things with more grace than I would - realistically, she had no choice but to simply take it. She's Black and Muslim in South Africa and doing anything against a white person would end in disaster. In this day and age...let's just say my own reaction wouldn't have been pretty.

The author does a wonderful job of making you feel - all the frustration, grief, and unfairness of it all. I did feel she was a little too kind to Mrs. Hattingh (she totally has Miss Haversham vibes) and gave us some backstory that may pull some sympathy out of the reader. I would have been tempted to slap the woman.

I really enjoyed the read. It's not a feel good read at all, but it's a well written book and I'm glad I read it.

* ARC via Publisher

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just because the action takes place in an old house, doesn’t mean it’s gothic. I had some other problems with this one. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be YA, and it often felt like a short story stretched into a novella, that really should have been fleshed out into a full novel. Other than mentions of the war, it was very hard to get a sense of the era we were in.

The writing here is good and at first the story grabs you, but you’ll quickly realize where this is all headed in a by the numbers thriller with a super milquetoast ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon &Schuster for an early peek.

[Dona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-Read Notes:

When I first read this title, I read "Cape Fear," which is the title of a horror remake from the eighties. I saw this film at a young age and it made a deep impact, as I was just a few years younger than the main character's daughter. That movie still to this day scares the ever-loving crap out of me.

And even though I knew this book had absolutely nothing to do with that movie, I thought I would ride my fright right on into another uncanny story.

"Mama and I have always disagreed about how quickly I arrive at anger. She says my temper is frightening because it comes unbidden, without warning. But if you were to ask me, I would say that I am slow to it, that things simmer and hum for an age before the boiling point." p139

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) This is one of those books where I wanted to highlight every page. Glad I decided to give this another pass. I think my reading notes speak well for my take of this one, which I found fascinating as well as brilliantly uncanny. It's not horror but it can be horrific in a smart, subtextual way.

The plot is a little thin, but I think that might be by design.

I recommend this story to almost-horror fans, edgy drama, and great stories about people of color and laborers rising above racism and classism.

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ "It is likely she lost part of her fortune in the war. Well, who hasn’t? Even those of us who had no fortune to begin with have felt the pinch and scrape and cost of all those trenches and guns and explosions." p11 Sharply insightful. I like cutting social and political commentary.

✔️ "She is holding the letter to a wide window, squinting with effort as though the words will unfurl in the morning light. The paper is thin as a breeze, the writing as spidery as my previous employer Mrs. Edenburg’s spite." p12 Davids is a master of metaphor, I mean elegant.

✔️ "Always keep something back, she told me, there is no need for them to know what you are truly thinking. So I do not tell Mrs. Hattingh that I am useless in a crisis, have never bested anyone in self-defense, and have no intention of shielding her at any cost to myself against marauding burglars or mountain baboons." p14 Good advice and also, a perfect picture of racism as it expressed in that place an era -- a white woman expecting a young woman of color, hired as a maid, to protect her and her interests. Freaking wild.

✔️ "I lifted my eyes to meet the lamb’s, watched them grow larger as the black moved from the center to the edge, and I heard it saying, clear as day—the words inside the bleats— Spaaaare meeee. Spaaaaaare meeee." p59 The horror elements here are completely magnificent. Big TW for animal cruelty. (See my content warnings below.)

✔️ The mental illness rep in this one is weird and interesting. Not exactly what I would call realistic or positive, but it applies a revealing lens to its madwoman archetype.

Notes: war, racism (systemic, casual, language), meat, cruelty to animals, animal death, death of a parent, grief, false imprisonment,

Thank you to Nadia Davids, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of CAPE FEVER. All views are mine.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids, is a suspenseful, exciting novel set in a 1920s British colonial city where lingering “settlers” have live in help to care for them and their homes. Soraya Matas is interviewed by the rather odd Mrs. Hattingh for a position as personal maid, housekeeper, etc. Her home, Heron Place, is not far from Soraya’s home in the Muslim Quarter. As the position sounds better than her last, and has no men present to pester her, Soraya accepts, learning only then of restrictions that Mrs. Hattingh will place on her time: she must stay every night with time off every other weekend to visit her family (and hopefully see her fiancé).

The novel is very well written and ably presents the claustrophobic and charged atmosphere that gradually develops in the home as The Mistress, Mrs. Hattingh begins teaching her “servant” Soraya, who has hidden a few of her talents from her. Soraya is able to read and write. There is also an aura of magic and otherworldliness in the story, both at Heron Place and in Soraya’s tales from her childhood. There is deception, anger and settlement of scores. I really enjoyed this book and will now look for Davids’ debut novel and await what comes next.


Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rarely do we see the world from the same view for longer than a minute, and yet for this hour we do, for this hour only we lock eyes evenly.

With its Gothic psychological suspense vibes, claustrophobic atmosphere, and rich prose, Cape Fever is one of those books that feels like it was written just for me. Set in South Africa in 1920, it’s about a young woman named Soraya who is hired to work as a maid for an enigmatic Englishwoman, Mrs. Hattingh, whose moldering mansion isn’t far from where Soraya lives with her family in their unnamed city’s Muslim Quarter. At the advice of her mother, Soraya tells Mrs. Hattingh she can’t read or write (“Some prize education in their servants, others resent it, she said, there’s just no way of knowing where she lands”), which leads Mrs. Hattingh to make a generous offer to Soraya: Soraya will dictate letters to her fiancé, Nour, who is miles away working on a farm, and Mrs. Hattingh will write her words – and will read Nour’s return letters out loud to Soraya. The intimacy of this weekly ritual binds them to one another, and ultimately threatens to tear their lives apart.

Nadia Davids’ evocative writing pulled me into this story immediately as she completely brought the world of Cape Fever to life: a crumbling mansion with its dust, dark corners, and ghosts; a vibrant, lively Muslim culture; a stifling sense of desperation pervading the narrative. Soraya’s first-person narration is intimate, offering a close glimpse into the psyche of a determined yet vulnerable young woman, and seeing Mrs. Hattingh through her eyes is fascinating. Mrs. Hattingh, based on her behavior, should not be sympathetic; and yet, Davids gives her so much complexity that it’s hard not to feel just a little bit sorry for her. Mrs. Hattingh has power over Soraya, and both women know it – and they both manipulate each other in their own ways. This results in a slow-burning, engrossing game of cat and mouse that explores power imbalances, racism, and class. And of course, there’s the theme of colonialism, which we see playing out in the plot on both a large and small scale.

The folklore elements are integrated so effectively; one of my favorite parts of the book was learning more about Soraya’s Muslim culture and traditions, which Davids juxtaposes so brilliantly with Mrs. Hattingh’s way of life. The book feels firmly placed in the time period, with the specter of World War I looming large in the characters’ lives. I didn’t find the direction the plot took surprising, exactly, but I’m not sure the reader is supposed to be surprised by it. For me, having some idea of what was coming, and watching the tension build and build to its culmination, was the brilliance of this book.

If you enjoy Gothic fiction, slow-burning psychological suspense, and complex character studies, you’re likely going to be very satisfied by what Cape Fever has to offer, just like I was. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the early reading opportunity.

[Monica Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cape Fever is a story about a creepy old house, ghosts, a manipulative older woman, and a girl just trying to help her family get by. Set in the 1920s in South Africa, Soraya is a maid to an English woman who lives in a large but dilapidated home. She has a son who provides for her but he is in London. He fought in WWI but has not been home in a very long time. Soraya at first doesn't mind her job but is upset because her employer, Mrs. Hattingh won't let her live at home. As time goes on Mrs. Hattingh increasingly restricts Soraya from leaving the house. Soraya wants to quit but she needs the money and can't risk losing her job. Mrs. Hattingh does let Soraya write letters to her fiance. Soraya pretends that she can't read or write so Mrs. Hattingh is the one writing the letters. Soraya is extremely grateful as she has not seen her fiance in a long time. However not all is as it seems.

This book was a shorter novel, less than 250 pages and honestly this is why I decided to give it a four star rating. If it had been longer I think I would have lost interest. As it stands now, it was the perfect length for the mystery of what was really happening to play out and capture my attention. The other aspect that really made this book stand out was the setting in South Africa. I really enjoyed reading about Soraya's gifts and her culture. If the entire book had been set in England it would have lost this dynamic and wouldn't have had the same spark. The writing was also superb. I loved how the author weaved in the historical details with some fantasy elements. This was definitely a darker story but it was thrilling to read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and well-crafted novel about the balance of power between an employer and her servant in a racially and religiously divided colonial colony just after World War I. It is a poignant story with nuanced characters and an intricate plot.

After a bad situation as a household maid, Soraya thinks she has found the right fit with Mrs. Hattingh, a stern but seemingly kind widow. What she finds is not just a house badly in need of repair, but spirits only she can see. While waiting for her son to visit, Mrs. Hattingh takes an interest in Soraya's life, and, thinking Soraya is illiterate, offers to write letters to Soraya's fiancé. The weekly letter writing becomes a ritual, and although Soraya is skeptical that Mrs. Hattingh is accurately writing what she dictates, she trusts her--something she later regrets. As the women's lives become more intertwined and Mrs. Hattingh's hold on Soraya deepens, Soraya desperately seeks to escape her clutches, only to find she has few options.

This is a poignant, psychologically suspenseful story with two strong characters at cross-purposes, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other. The gothic elements and the atmospheric setting enrich the book. The themes of love and grief for both characters unite them and, at the same time, widen the gap. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is December 9, 2025.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars — CAPE FEVER is a wonderfully tense gothic suspense novel set in the 1920s, in a place similar to colonial South Africa. It delves into the uneasy relationship between a young Muslim woman working as a housekeeper, and her employer, a British widow living in a crumbling haunted house. The writing is beautiful, and I loved the simmering dread that built up in the story as things deteriorated between the two women. This is a fascinating read that explores colonialism, class, love, and maybe most of all, the heaviness of grief. I enjoyed the complex characters and the overall unsettling tone of the book. Thought-provoking and memorable.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

…and I realize then that the true wonder of these people is this: they are perfectly at ease with doing the wrong thing for centuries and then expect congratulations for doing the right thing for a moment. from Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

I love a good Gothic suspense story, and Cape Fever nails it–with an added depth, portraying 1920s Colonial society in Cape Town as experienced by a young Muslim servant.

The result is a page-turner, immersive novel with it’s increasing sense of threat, illuminating not only a specific place and time but also attitudes that persist today.

Soraya’s family is poor. To help her family, and hopefully save money for marriage to her fiance, a farm laborer saving for teacher’s college, she takes employment with a British widow in a dilapidated house. Soyara’s mother knew that educated servants were a threat, so Soyara pretends to be illiterate.

At first, it seems like a good enough position. Soyara cleans and cooks and does Mrs. Hattingh’s bidding, listening to her mistress talk about her adored son, a WWI veteran, and her many charitable works. She is sensitive to the ghosts inhabiting the house, a former servant and one associated with the portrait of a beautiful Muslin girl.

Over time, Mrs. Hattingh begins to intrude on Soyara’s personal life, insisting on writing letters to her fiance, and restricting her ability to visit her family. Mrs. Hattingh becomes dependent on Soyara in unhealthy ways, isolating her from the world to keep her to herself.

It’s a wonder, isn’t it? How much we know about them and how little they know about us. from Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

Soyara makes shocking discoveries which shifts the balance of power, and in the end, she sets aright their lives.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

[Debra Shaughnessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cape Fever is a haunting historical thriller set in 1920s South Africa. Following a young woman working for a troubled employer, it blends gothic suspense, psychological tension, and social commentary, creating a moody and gripping read. Very short audio, easy to get through!

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️. A breezy novel that manages to comment on racial tension, class distinctions, and spiritual differences all in 240 economical pages. Soraya is a young African Muslim who goes to work for the English woman, Mrs Hattingh. She doesn’t wish to stay at the house, but Mrs. Hattingh makes this an essential job requirement. Soraya, feels uneasy in the house, and detects a presence. Although she is Muslim, she is still tethered to her ancestral beliefs and practices, so the presence doesn’t frighten her, in fact she embraces all of the homes’ eccentricities. In an effort to acquiesce to the beliefs at the time, Soraya downplays her literacy and as a result, Mrs. Hattingh volunteers to write letters for Soraya to her boyfriend who is away at work on a farm. When things between Soraya and her boyfriend began to unravel, well Soraya instinctively knows what could have happened. Getting to this denouement is fun, thrilling and intriguing. The novel is a pleasant read and in ways, enlightening.Thanks to Netgalley and Simon&Schuster for an advanced DRC. Book drops 12.09.25

[Anna Mikulec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Simon and Schuster for a review copy

I went into this expecting gothic horror based on the marketing, but it felt more like quiet literary fiction with a gothic atmosphere rather than a suspense-driven story.

The pacing is very slow, which I can usually appreciate, but I personally struggled to connect with the characters. So the moments of escalation didn’t have the emotional impact I was hoping for. Ultimately I think my expectations played a big role in my experience with this one.

That said, the writing is moody and reflective, and I can see this working well for readers who enjoy atmospheric, character-light literary novels. It just wasn’t quite what I was looking for.

[Laura (thenerdygnomelife) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn't at all what I was expecting from the description, and I went through most of the book feeling a little unsure about what (if anything) was going on. While I felt the writing itself was atmospheric and lyrical, I needed more from the plot. 2.5 stars that round down.

[Erin Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

✨✨Atmospheric, but I struggled to stay invested. ✨✨

I think I expected Cape Fever to be a bit more gothic and thrilling. This one is definitely more literary fiction than I had expected. That being said, it is atmospheric and it’s not a very long book either.

I liked this one okay, but it is a slow burn and honestly I struggled to stay interested. Which is a shame because it started off very captivating!! Cape Fever landed pretty middle of the road for me. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released December 9, 2025.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliciously gothic historical fiction.

Set in an unnamed colonial city in 1920, this is a story of obsession born out of loss, of grief stripped down to longing, of slavery and patronising empathy. The writing slips over you like silk as the creeping sense of dread settles in for the duration.

"I realise then that the true wonder of these people is this: they are perfectly at ease with doing the wrong thing for centuries and then expect congratulations for doing the right thing for a moment."

I really enjoyed this slim novel, the time and place were so richly realised, along with the blending of colonial history with the spiritual aspects of a world grieving so much loss and devastation after the first world war and the Spanish flu.

"I marvel that she can so easily show me her back when the kitchen is full of knives."

Releases 30 December 2025. Thanks to @simonandschuster for the review copy.

[Jillian Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the surge in popularity of stories like Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein this past year, the adjective “gothic” has been liberally used in promoting new titles, often to the detriment of a perfectly nice story that is in no way “gothic” in atmosphere. That is unfortunately the case with this title from South African author Nadia Davis. The premise is intriguing enough but the execution of the “gothic themes” and “psychological suspense” promised by the publisher’s synopsis and the comparisons to Daphne Du Maurier set my expectations sky-high.

I did enjoy the reading experience overall and the South African setting was unfamiliar to me, which I found interesting. I felt compelled to keep reading to discover Soraya’s fate and the secrets kept by Mrs Hattingh, and I was shocked at the way Mrs Hattingh ultimately betrayed and manipulated her maid. The characters of Soraya and Mrs Hattingh and the way they interacted and developed a strangely intimate yet hostile relationship would have made a good premise for a novella or short story, but unfortunately I do feel that this title suffered from misdirected marketing and uneven pacing. Still, as a historical fiction story with an uncommon setting and interesting characters, I think this would be worth checking out for readers who want a short, suspenseful story with a satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This threw me for a loop in the best possible way. It's a short novella but packs a punch in its few pages. We don't often think of Gothic stories outside of the foggy moors of England - placing it in 1920s Cape Town felt close enough to be familiar but unique enough to bring a new spin.

God I felt for Soraya at times. Her situation isn't exactly unique, based on all accounts of domestics in the British colonies. Her employer Mrs. Hattingh is demanding and casually cruel, until she becomes outright cruel. I don't want to give too much away, because it's such an interesting story, but I will say that Soraya has far more compassion and sympathy than I ever could.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nadia Davids, and Simon & Schuester for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and haunting tale of a live-in maid in South Africa whose employer takes the idea of colonization to a whole new level. Born to a Muslim family, Soraya arrives at the British Mrs. Hattingh's house relieved that her new placement is in a home with no men and that her employer seems somewhat friendly, if a little peculiar. Soraya soon becomes acquainted with the ghost of her predecessor, Fatima, and along with a painting of a woman called Rosa, these women become her companions as she suffers through Mrs. Hattingh's increasingly erratic behavior.

Being the type of woman who thinks she's much kinder and more generous to her help than her peers--though still quick to make snide comments to Soraya about "your people"--Mrs. Hattingh offers her own services to her maid in the form of letter-writing to Soraya's fiancé. Though Soraya has no issue reading and writing, she follows the advice of her mother who advises her to hide her intellectual abilities from her employer. The novel's pace and tension pick up as it becomes clear Mrs. Hattingh has some secrets of her own.

I thought this was good, not great. The pacing lagged for me in multiple parts throughout the first three-quarters, perhaps because I didn't particularly care for the moments where we flashback to Soraya's scary storytelling to the local children. These stories fit in with the supernatural elements, but otherwise didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the book.

Worth the read, but won't be memorable.

[Destiny || readingisyourdestiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably won't be for everyone, but it was really unique and one I won't forget!

[AMenagerieofWords Deb Coco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m bamboozled by this one. Gothic? Please don’t put this boring, predictable and overly simplistic book in that category. I don’t know why I finished it honestly. And props to the Goodreads reviewer who aptly noted “just because it’s set in an old house doesn’t mean it’s gothic!” 2025 has been one dull reading year and this rounds that trend out.

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids is a gothic tale of desire and revenge set in 1920s South Africa. Soraya is hired as the live-in house maid and companion to Mrs Hattingh in a grand house in an unnamed British colony which could easily be Cape Town.

The novel begins in a seemingly familiar upstairs downstairs historical fiction style plot I've read and loved before. The list of daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly chores Soraya is expected to carry out feed this fascination and the class distinction is clear.

Separated from her betrothed and letting Mrs Hattingh believe she can't read or write, Soraya accepts a generous offer from her employer to write a letter to him once a week on her behalf. This becomes a weekly ritual for both women that seems genuine and generous in the beginning as they sit together, read his reply and compose a response.

"It's as though she's shown me a door, told me about the riches that lie beyond it, opened it very slightly, enough for the warm gold glow behind it to spill out, just a little, with both of us knowing she can shut it whenever she likes." Page 73

Soraya comes from a Muslim community and the juxtaposition of the two cultures is ever present, with Mrs Hattingh continuing to assert her dominance and superiority at every opportunity. The writing is evocative and I particularly enjoyed her description of smells. I'm going to include the full quote here so that you can enjoy it and I can read it again and again in the future.

Soraya notices that in big houses with high ceilings and long corridors, the smells of people disappear into nothing.

"In the Quarter, smells stay. There's the smell in our houses of incense burning both now and fifty years ago, of a thousand meals past and the ones bubbling on stoves this minute. Sticking to every wall, woven into every curtain, the reek of chopped onions and pressed garlic, the trace of scattered methi, diced chilies, dried bay leaves; of spices - whole, roasted, ground, cast in hot oil - and of meat braising, bones boiling, fat spitting, broth cooking, sugar burning, rose water steaming, tea brewing, mint leaves just torn, ginger beer just poured. It's the smell of more in good times and of keeping an eye in lean ones. In our house, also, the whiff of my mother's soaps, the sweet jasmine my father planted at the front gate, the sticky heat of my and my sisters' sweat, the rush of the tides my brother brings back with him from a day at the beach and the fish he carries, still on the hook, sea fresh, glassy-eyed, salt crusted, scales shining." Pages 30-31

After reading this I desperately wanted to visit Soraya's house and inhale some of those scents, and absorb the swirl of life and history that had taken place there.

Constantly in each other's company, Soraya is unable to leave her position as her family desperately need her wages to get by, yet the relationship between the two women slowly begins to sour until it reaches an exciting and unexpected climax.

"She walks away, her slight frame straight, arms soft and graceful, once a girl who would have practiced with a book on her head, and I marvel that she can so easily show me her back when the kitchen is full of knives." Page 151

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids is a slow burn gothic psychological suspense thriller about class, colonialism, power, loneliness, love, loss, grief, secrets and betrayal and I loved it. Highly recommended.

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary debut novel, one that delves into the relationship between colonialists in South Africa and those who they have subjected to serve them. Teenaged Soroya has been in "service" since she was 12 years old. In her first job she had to put furniture in front of her bedroom door at night to keep the "master" of the house out. Her second job is with an older widow with a house that she's barely keeping from decay. Her employer has, in a way, created who she thinks Soroya is the minute she walks through the door on her first day. Because she is of a formerly enslaved class and a Muslim she is assumed to be uneducated and slow and many other things that she is not. It doesn't take long for Soroya to catch on that there is something amiss in her employer's house. The woman is kind in a patronizing way and Soroya goes along with it, doing as her mother has instructed her to do to stay under the radar and get her pay each month. Her employer has an idea that she can help Soroya write letters to her boyfriend, which becomes a weekly thing. As her employer becomes more and more controlling, Soroya realizes all is not as it seems.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but kept wishing it had been slightly different in its execution. There is some really cool tension here that ratchets up beautifully near the end, but I wish that tension had been more explicitly present in the beginning--I spent the first half of the book carried along through vibes alone, which is not ideal for me, and once we introduce the really exciting tension, it gets underexplored. I also felt like there were too many things that aren't meaningful by the time the story ends, like the painting of Rosa and the ghost of Fatima. But it was worth the time to read!

3.5/5

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I don’t answer, because what is there to say? I understand in this moment that every woman, rich or poor, madam or maid, dreams of escape."

Soraya is a young Muslim woman with too vivid an imagination. Cautious of her daughter's good name, her mother hastens to send her out to service in the big houses of the English colonisers.
It is in one such house where Soraya is currently serving Mrs Hattingh, accompanied by the house's ghosts, scrubbing the constant dust away from the house's derelict glory.
Mrs Hattingh, perpetually waiting for her son who has been away since the war, presses the supposedly illiterate Soraya into letting her write in her name to her fiancé, thus beginning an unhealthy dynamic between the two women.

I feel this book is not shelved properly on Goodreads, this isn't at all a thriller, and only very lightly a Gothic, I would label this as post-colonial magical realism, if anything.

The greatest strength of this story was its writing which was so, so beautiful. It felt reminiscent of Isabel Allende, Jean Rhys, and Elizabeth Knox, but it stands very much on its own and is very original.

All in all, this was a little gem of a book, I will most certainly add Nadia Davids to the authors whose books I look forward to.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

very gothic-esque, made me feel like i was trapped in that house too. If you like “beloved” by toni morrison i think you would like this as-well, very similar themes (race, class, womanhood and grief within the gothic).

(These are my own thoughts, thank you S&S for the ARC!!)

[Rusha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this like I'd have a fever if I didnt stop