Immorality Act

by Berend Mets

Cape Town, in the 1960s.

Love across the colour bar is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.

John Terreblanche, a police reporter seeking redemption, tells the story of a Xhosa nurse, Promise Madiba, a Dutch doctor, Willem Jansen, and a Malay prostitute, Marja de Koning, who engage in a passionate love triangle in the shadow of the Sharpeville massacre, as South Africa lurches towards becoming a Republic.

Violent yet tender, Immorality Act spans from Indonesia to Cape Town and is a moving account of the impact of apartheid, racism and colonialism on lives in the twentieth century, as well as a celebration of the ungovernability of the human spirit.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2026

About the author

Dr. Berend Mets was born in Indonesia of Dutch parents, has lived on four continents, and amongst other countries grew up in South Africa, where he became a doctor, anaesthetist and scientist. He came to writing fiction after a career of medical and scientific writing and has published two books for the lay person. Waking Up Safer? An Anesthesiologist's Record. And: Leadership in Anaesthesia: Five Pioneers of the Deadly Quest for Surgical Insensibility.

Berend is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the Pennsylvania State University and has recently completed a Master in Fine Arts in creative writing at Carlow University. He divides his time between, America, the Dutch Caribbean and Cape Town, South Africa.

Immorality Act is his debut novel.

Reviews

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very powerful , beautiful, humbling book. It is one of them books that makes you stop and put yourself in their shoes , so you can feel their experience. This is a historical fiction book set in Cape Town we follow the lives of Promise, Willem and Marja , we see their lives through a local police reporter.

The book is set in the apartheid era and it is brutally honest in parts of just what people will have gone through. It is a hard hitting and violent book in parts but it is worth it to fully get the sense of the novel. The author does an absolutely amazing job of fully immersing the reading and pulling them into the lives of the characters.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immorality Act by Berend Mets.
Cape Town, in the 1960s.
Love across the colour bar is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment. John Terreblanche, a police reporter seeking redemption, tells the story of a Xhosa nurse, Promise Madiba, a Dutch doctor, Willem Jansen, and a Malay prostitute, Marja de Koning, who engage in a passionate love triangle in the shadow of the Sharpeville massacre, as South Africa lurches towards becoming a Republic. Violent yet tender, Immorality Act spans from Indonesia to Cape Town and is a moving account of the impact of apartheid, racism and colonialism on lives in the twentieth century, as well as a celebration of the ungovernability of the human spirit.
This was a lovely and beautiful read. I did enjoy this book and I'm slowly starting to enjoy historical fiction. It was different and unique. I did like the cover. Beautifully written. I did like Marja promise and Willem and how they were together. It was brutal in parts. Very well written and very well researched. A very sensitive subject which must have been hard to write. The chapters were a little long but I soon got lost in the book. I liked the ending. 4*.

[Emma Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immortality Act is a historical novel by Berend Mets.
The novel is set in Cape Town in the 1960's. When love across the colour bar is a criminal offence that can put you in prison.
John Terreblanche, a police reporter tells the story of a nurse called 'Promise', a Dutch Doctor 'Willem' and a Malay prostitute called 'Marja'. Who engages in a passionate love triangle as South Africa heads towards becoming a Republic.
Immortality Act is a beautiful yet violent novel and shows the impact of racism, apartheid and colonialism on lives in the twentieth century and also the celebration of how far people will go to protect their rights.
Berend's writing is beautiful and despite the sensitive subjects it is well written. I kept reading until the end as I wanted to know what happened. Overall, a brilliant novel that I highly recommend.
❤️ Thank you to @zooloobooktours, the author and publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'm extremely surprised and shocked that this is historical fiction... fiction based on true stories....

It's also disturbing as the 60s wasn't that long ago... being arrested under the Immorality Act. It blows my mind.

We follow the story of Promise, Willem, and Marja, a love triangle that was very much illegal in Cape Town.

One quote really got me at the very start when the Police come knocking:
'If we have reason to believe that a carnal int3rcourse is being perpetrated across the colour line in contravention of the Immorality Act, ...'

I mean, really? 'colour line'? This really angered me.

And, this is what the story revolves around... the Police arriving, evidence is found, and what the aftermath was as told by John Terreblanche (a reporter.)

While the novel is a work of fiction, it is harrowing the think that people did actually go through what is being described. These are actual real-life experiences.

The author is so incredibly clever with the format of the story, with 1st person transcripts of tape recordings, 3rd person narrative, news articles... it all links together perfectly to really hit home the situation that many faced while also making the book full of raw emotion.

You will laugh, you will cry, and it will provoke deep thoughts from you as you read this (at times) shocking and brutally honest book.

I learned a great deal and would this book recommend to anyone who would like to learn more about this subject.

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another historical fiction novel review on the blog today. Immorality Act is such a powerful story that, as the reader, I felt like I was walking in the characters' shoes.

Set in Cape Town in South Africa during the 1960s. It is a dangerous time for any multi racial love to bloom. We are introduced to a police reporter , John Terreblanche. He tells the story of Promise, a nurse, Willem a doctor, and Marja, a prostitute. They are caught up in a love triangle, and we see the effects of Apartheid and rascism as the story unfolds. It's brutal, hard-hitting, and brings home what people had to deal with.

I know about Apartheid but not as much as I should. This story taught me so much more. I always knew of the suffering and unjust, but Berend Mets explores with sensitivity these extremely difficult subjects. He weaves a mesmerising tale of how three people are connected together. The depth of pain that comes along with the bravery, resilience, and passion of people.

Berend Mets has created such a compelling novel. He has crossed every t and dotted every i in his research. I seriously got caught up in the Immorality Act. I didn't even feel like any of this was fiction, even though my own mind knew it was. I lived and breathed these peoples lives every second I spent reading.

A historical fiction novel that is such an original and gripping read. I absolutely recommend it to anyone who has any interest in South Africa and the horrors the people of that country lived through.
Thanks to ZooLoo's Book Tours and the author for my gifted ebook in return for an honest review.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immorality Act was a difficult read not because it was written badly or any such thing. Rather because of the sense of realism and the tough topics it dealt with in such a gentle way. Mets does not shy away from the impact of the apartheid, something you would have thought, or hoped wouldn’t have continued as long as it did. Racism and of course colonialism. Immorality Act is a stark reminder of how far humanity hadn’t really come in the twentieth century particularly where race was involved.

An historical novel at heart we are given a stark and vivid account of Cape Town in the 1960’s. Mets does not sugar coat the environment of apartheid South Africa. Yet between showing the violence, prejudices and injustices Mets captures the character, particularly Promise, Willem and Marja in a beautiful human way. Their relationships are equally loving and tumultuous. We see the kind of issues faced by those who dared to try and defy the unjust laws of the time.

The main thing that stuck out to me though is how Mets captures the sense of hope and perseverance of the human spirit, regardless of age or race. In the face of the harsh realities of the time and novel the characters continue to hope and strive for a better future and while it took a time and the wounds are still healing that hope and justice did win out.

[Tyler Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you even surprised im back with another historical review....

As an avid historical fiction reader I must say this book was both deeply unique but also deeply emotional. I can tell you right now you can not put this book and not think about it for hours after. Right off the bat Mets does an amazing job of getting you to connect and feel like one with his characters. I definitely felt this one in my soul while reading.

With a story line that makes you want to dive in head first, you are quickly entrapped in the lives of Willem, Promise and Maria which are being told from a reporters pov. You will go down the rabbit hole with this novel, the way the author so cleverly has all these characters lives woven together and the way he slowly tells you how they are connected is both intriguing and heartbreaking. There's lots of pain and anguish to be felt while reading this book but I promise it's worth it. I was deeply moved by the end of this and while it hurts me to think that there was time in the past where things like this happened it makes me appreciate that we've at least moved forward in some aspects in present day.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immorality Act is a powerful and emotional novel that delves into the complexities of love and relationships in the midst of apartheid-era Cape Town. The author, Dr. Berend Mers, expertly weaves together the stories of Promise, Willem, and Marja to create a compelling narrative that not only highlights the harsh realities of living under apartheid, but also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

The setting of Cape Town in the 1960s is vividly depicted, with the shadow of the Sharpeville massacre looming large over the characters and their relationships. The love triangle between Promise, Willem, and Marja is both turbulent and tender, portraying the difficulties and challenges faced by individuals who dare to defy the oppressive laws of the time.

The themes of racism, colonialism, and apartheid are skillfully explored throughout the novel, shedding light on the injustices and prejudices that were rampant in South Africa during this period. Despite the harsh realities depicted in the book, there is also a sense of hope and resilience that shines through, showcasing the indomitable human spirit.

Overall, Immorality Act is a moving and thought-provoking read that will stay with readers long after they have turned the final page. Dr. Berend Mers has created a compelling and poignant story that captures the heartbreak and triumph of individuals living in a society torn apart by discrimination and inequality.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough read!

Set in Cape Town in the 1960's, this book deals with some really tough issues that affected so many around this period.

I have not read much around these themes before and so this was pretty hard-hitting and shocking in places.

Our main characters get caught up in a love triangle - but relationships between the races was illegal and punishable by imprisonment.
As we follow Promise, Willem and Marja we see just how brutal and far-reaching the effects of apartheid and racism extended.

I loved the way the relationships between the characters developed through the book and thought this was really sensitively approached.
The storyline flowed well and I was completely invested in how things would turn out for the trio.

The setting was often stark but I feel this mirrored the whole mood of the book which was full of injustice and judgement - but running underneath all of this, was a sense of hope.

I've often heard talk of apartheid but not really understood it's impact. This was a really thought-provoking read which will stay with me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Against the deeply-troubled background of an evolving nation—black against white in the struggle to be free in their own country—the life-story of Promise Madiba shows her evolution from village girl to nurse and ANC activist. Her hospital work brings her into contact with Willem Jansen, a doctor raised in the Dutch East Indies and subjected to the horrors of imprisonment and torture by the Japanese during the Second World War. Self-medicating with ether to help repress the lasting effects of these experiences, he’s discovered and dismissed from his post in Amsterdam—to which place he moved after the war—and has relocated to South Africa.

Not a small part of Willem’s anguish is caused by the feeling that he betrayed Marja de Koning, the half-Indonesian daughter of his childhood neighbours, who was born on the same day as Willem and who was like a sister to him until their feelings for one another deepened when they entered their teens. The families had sworn to protect each other, before the war, but afterwards Willem found both his family and Marja’s missing, presumed dead, which was a part-reason for his move to Amsterdam. When he discovers that she’s in fact alive he prepares to meet Marja from the repatriation ship on which she was booked—but she never arrives, and it’s thought she’d fallen overboard.

Willem has no way of knowing that this isn’t the truth. Separated from him by the war, and subjected to no few horrors of her own whilst similarly imprisoned by the Japanese, Marja has been subjected to further abuse by Indonesian resistance fighters on her release, causing her to miss her passage. Taking another ship via Cape Town and spending time ashore there, she suffers another life-changing catastrophe and remains there.

Thus, the lives of the main players converge in Cape Town, where circumstances conspire once more for the three to find one another, sooner or later, their situation culminating in the police raid and arrests for breaking of the Immorality Act of 1927, which prohibits ‘illicit carnal intercourse’ across the colour line. With their trial pending, they’re sought out by journalist John Terreblanche, himself raised in a white supremacist tradition and looking to improve his professional situation by reporting on the case. As he recounts their individual and joint stories to the reader—interspersed with accounts of political goings-on and the history of the country—Terreblanche becomes enlightened to the fact that loves knows nothing of colour, or race, defying the despotic system of apartheid which rules in this police state.

I guess the most beautiful things to be gained from this book are the faces of Promise and Marja, and the love between them and Willem—because for the rest it’s not a pretty story. Ugly happenings in an ugly society, that of South Africa immediately prior to the independence and gaining of republic status in 1961.

The story is excellently-researched, and well-written, with no punches pulled regarding the regime under which the colourfully-drawn characters are living. It’s also unbelievably heart-breaking that people such as Marja and Willem, with all they’ve previously been through, should end up in such a place.

The one issue I had was with the narration. Terreblanche tells the story of all three main players, as well as his own questionable involvement with them. Some parts are rendered as the interviews he conducted with them, told in their own words and recorded by him, others put together from their diaries—so far, so good. At times, however, Terreblanche falls into the role of omniscient narrator, and yes, he’s the author of their story and entitled to do so. An author who sits outside the action is one thing though, while one who also drops into the story as a character and relates minute details of the lives of his subjects which he’d have no way of knowing—and which it’s difficult to believe they’d tell him—makes for a rather uneasy read, notwithstanding the fact that Terreblanche admits on at least one occasion that he’s had to ‘back-fill’ the gaps in the story.

Read it I did though, with a growing sense of what would be the outcome for Willem—although for Promise and Marja I had no idea. As for Terreblanche—a journalist, and therefore not the most reliable of narrators—does he make suitable reparation for his misdeeds? Hell is empty and all the devils are here, as Shakespeare would have it—and I’m sure Terreblanche would understand. Recommended.

[Fatguyreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immorality Act by Berend Mets is set in Cape Town in the 1960's, during a period of unease.

It's a powerful, hardhiting novel which explores many difficult themes such as racism, apartheid and colonialism.

It's quite brutal in parts and full of suffering as we follow Promise, Willem and Marja who are caught up in an interracial love triangle at a time when such relationships were illegal.

I found the story flowed well, the pace was just right and character development was nop notch.

I read this in three sittings.

Although it's a story exploring some incredibly difficult themes, it's also a beautiful story about love and relationships in apartheid South Africa.

All in all, an interesting read on a subject I'm not too familiar with.

4 stars from me.

[kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard hitting and powerful novel that is full of brutality and suffering. It follows the story of Promise, Willem and Marja, a xhosa nurse, a doctor and a Malay prostitute, whose story is told by John, a local police reporter. Promise, Willem and Marja who live in Cape Town are involved in a love triangle that is full of passion and danger in a country that is barreling towards revolution and becoming a Republic.
However at this time, interracial relationships are illegal and the consequences are high.

The story is beautifully written and gives a powerful look at the brutal impact of the racism that occurred during the Aparthied movement in South Africa, but also about the resilience and bravery of people who were willing to stand up for themselves and their rights. I remember seeing things about it in the early 90's on the news etc, but not really understanding it. Reading this book has made me want to look further into it.

An important book that i would definitely recommend to everyone

[Robert Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Immorality Act” takes us from World War Two and the Japanese invasion of Indonesia, to post-war Netherlands and finally to the dawning of the Republic of South Africa. It centers around the formalization of apartheid and on the Immorality Act, which made sex between whites and other races a criminal offence. This movement through both space and time kept me interested in, and engaged with, the vividly drawn and well researched characters and settings.
I found the story a very powerful evocation of South Africa of the 1960s, a country in both physical and moral turmoil. In this fine first novel, both tragic and life affirming, Mets examines the way in which three people of different races and social backgrounds fall in love and come together in defiance of the constraints of both society and of the racist apartheid state.

[Marjo Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immortality Act is a fast moving, thought provoking and meticulously researched historical novel. I was drawn in from the start, wanting to read more and get to know the characters in this skillfully written novel.
This engrossing story is written with compassion covering difficult times across Indonesia Netherlands and especially South Africa, allowing a glimpse into the injustice of those times.
Having lived in South Africa during part of the apartheid era, this story depicts some of the harsh realities accurately.
The three main characters' lives are very clearly and cleverly interwoven with each other with many moving moments. They became very real to me.
Despite the difficulties there is a sense of hope and resilience that shines through. An excellent read!

[A. Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived in South Africa for forty plus years prior to emigrating to the United States, I was well aware of the many laws, including the Immorality Act, under which people of color had to live/survive. The author has captured the suffering, the anxiety, as well as the terror experienced by those subjected to this cruel and heartless Act. It is written in an easy-to- read style that includes many of the local colloquialisms to good effect.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in educating themselves regarding one of the many unjust laws present during the era of South African apartheid.

[Ulanda Neveling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Having grown up in RSA, I am familiar with the whole apartheid era and the whites only etc. so I understood the whole set-up. And yes it was a big disgrace at the time if a white man had relationships with non-whites and the police did do those raids.

The three characters - Willem, Promise and Marja - lovely people with interesting backgrounds and how they met up.

I was hooked and did not want to put it down - wanted to know what happens next - read it in three evenings.

[Norman]

A great read indeed. It has shed light and new found facts about the history of South Africa in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Berend Mets keeps you enthralled thoughout this novel. I cannot wait for him to publish his second novel

[Berend Mets · Rating 5 out of 5]

My own book. Which I love reading. It tells a great story through the eyes of four different points of view and his about Cape Town, a city I love and which is well represented as the 5th ‘charachter’ in this historical novel.

[Enalu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well told story with interesting characters.
The book highlights a dark period in the history of South African - well researched by the author.
Highly recommended!