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The Narrowing
It was that and you knew it, that you held on to things and let them pile up on your shoulders. They didn’t pile into a hunchback, that’s why you were always able to stand up straight and look life in the eye. But the things, they did settle in your belly and you couldn’t vomit them, so you vomited people instead.
50 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2020
55 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
Dudu Busani-Dube
13 books1,994 followersDudu Busani-Dube is the author of the popular Hlomu series of self-published novels, being Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi his Love, which has sold tens of thousands of copies.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 7, 2021
The book/story was quite short, but packed with so much drama. Dudu definitely did not hold back when it came to the shock factor. As short as it was, there were many OMG moments. Maybe I was not paying too much attention, but I believe her ghost self or outer body self is describing how her journey to her final death started.
Sfundo led a tragic life of solitude, and to be quite honest, a life full of one bad decision after another. Her life of solitude began the day she lost her sister and her mother fell into a deep depression, that left her emotionally unavailable. She pushed away anyone who tried to genuinely get close to her and kept anyone who used and needed her. The emotional scars that were inflicted on her never healed, because she mastered the art of suppressing her anger, and display calmness. At a later stage, they manifested themselves in an absurd & shocking act.
I empathised with her for the loss of her sister and the injuries she suffered from her burning after her mother set their house on fire. That was the end for me. I honestly felt she could have been an adult and made better decisions. At the same time, it is not my place to judge, as we all deal with trauma differently.
I did not particularly like or dislike the story, hence I gave it only three stars. It is slightly different from what she normally writes about and how she normally writes.
Sfundo led a tragic life of solitude, and to be quite honest, a life full of one bad decision after another. Her life of solitude began the day she lost her sister and her mother fell into a deep depression, that left her emotionally unavailable. She pushed away anyone who tried to genuinely get close to her and kept anyone who used and needed her. The emotional scars that were inflicted on her never healed, because she mastered the art of suppressing her anger, and display calmness. At a later stage, they manifested themselves in an absurd & shocking act.
I empathised with her for the loss of her sister and the injuries she suffered from her burning after her mother set their house on fire. That was the end for me. I honestly felt she could have been an adult and made better decisions. At the same time, it is not my place to judge, as we all deal with trauma differently.
I did not particularly like or dislike the story, hence I gave it only three stars. It is slightly different from what she normally writes about and how she normally writes.
August 11, 2020
Different
This kinda shifted from her previous writings but i liked it. Sfundo lived a tragic lonely life full of drama would not wish it for anyone. Despite being successful and having money you realise it cannot buy happiness or inner peace.
This kinda shifted from her previous writings but i liked it. Sfundo lived a tragic lonely life full of drama would not wish it for anyone. Despite being successful and having money you realise it cannot buy happiness or inner peace.
August 31, 2024
Captivating! A really good read!
Man!!! What a story! Do many twists and turns I did not expect!! What a Cliff-hanger! I wish there was a follow-up up do we know what happened!! Now only my mind can fill the gaps!
Man!!! What a story! Do many twists and turns I did not expect!! What a Cliff-hanger! I wish there was a follow-up up do we know what happened!! Now only my mind can fill the gaps!
March 30, 2022
“All you knew was that it was your fault. Your were nine-years old and your strongest feeling was guilty. You didn’t say anything about where the stone came from. Your innocence died on that night.”
Everything she suffered thereafter was a result of this. I strongly believe that her mother would have blamed her even if she knew the truth, forgetting that she was merely a child but omitting such a heavy truth was the beginning of her end.
I was touched by her unspoken pain and it felt like a part of me died with her innocence.
“You were 16-years old and your strongest feeling was anger. What was left if your happiness and hope died that day.” Angry at her mother who became a shadow of her self after the death of her sister. The bottle might not have solved her mother’s problems, it actually created more but I can’t blame her fully for finding temporary consolation in it but I do blame her for neglecting the only child she was left with.
“You died that night. You were 22 and your strongest feeling was hate, hate for yourself.” I cannot imagine the damage/ doubt in one’s mind of being raised without a father nor the extent of pain of not knowing anything about him hence I cannot possibly understand her reasoning. I can only note that she was desperate for a parents love and her father should have known better than to take advantage of her vulnerability.
Everything she suffered thereafter was a result of this. I strongly believe that her mother would have blamed her even if she knew the truth, forgetting that she was merely a child but omitting such a heavy truth was the beginning of her end.
I was touched by her unspoken pain and it felt like a part of me died with her innocence.
“You were 16-years old and your strongest feeling was anger. What was left if your happiness and hope died that day.” Angry at her mother who became a shadow of her self after the death of her sister. The bottle might not have solved her mother’s problems, it actually created more but I can’t blame her fully for finding temporary consolation in it but I do blame her for neglecting the only child she was left with.
“You died that night. You were 22 and your strongest feeling was hate, hate for yourself.” I cannot imagine the damage/ doubt in one’s mind of being raised without a father nor the extent of pain of not knowing anything about him hence I cannot possibly understand her reasoning. I can only note that she was desperate for a parents love and her father should have known better than to take advantage of her vulnerability.
August 7, 2020
Review
Good work Dudu,its soul touching and l was happy because a lot of people in those kind of situ,will attempt suicide until they succeed.was also sad because she never got a break from the hell called life.And some stuff she is to blame ,no matter how miserable 1 is you will always noe sleeping with your father is a Taboo.
She chose to ignore that,like she ignored the fraud issue.She could clearly see somthing was going on and turned a blind eye.eish l felt like crying with her,happy for her and angry at her.for all this to happen it shows how good and talented you are.
Keep up the good work
Good work Dudu,its soul touching and l was happy because a lot of people in those kind of situ,will attempt suicide until they succeed.was also sad because she never got a break from the hell called life.And some stuff she is to blame ,no matter how miserable 1 is you will always noe sleeping with your father is a Taboo.
She chose to ignore that,like she ignored the fraud issue.She could clearly see somthing was going on and turned a blind eye.eish l felt like crying with her,happy for her and angry at her.for all this to happen it shows how good and talented you are.
Keep up the good work
September 19, 2020
brilliant story telling
Riveting read, a page turner that keeps you hooked. If only there were more pages; I can't wait for more chapters
Riveting read, a page turner that keeps you hooked. If only there were more pages; I can't wait for more chapters
September 13, 2022
What a depressing book. It is quite short so I finished it in less than a day. These are the kinds of stories I'm trying to run away from.
For some reason it felt real, like it was someone's real life experiences. There were huge jumps in between timeliness but it did feel like the point was to bring forth the major events or incidences which affected the character. The way it is written, it is as if I am the one experiencing the events and that really made me connect with the character or see myself as her. The book shows how not dealing with trauma could lead to a compound effect of traumas which could really destroy one's life, and the others around.
Is it ever too late to seek help?
For some reason it felt real, like it was someone's real life experiences. There were huge jumps in between timeliness but it did feel like the point was to bring forth the major events or incidences which affected the character. The way it is written, it is as if I am the one experiencing the events and that really made me connect with the character or see myself as her. The book shows how not dealing with trauma could lead to a compound effect of traumas which could really destroy one's life, and the others around.
Is it ever too late to seek help?
July 18, 2022
Flabbergasted
Loniless is the one feeling that comes out throughout the pages but in all honesty Sfundo was just living because she had. She ìs fulll of self-hate, and mostly guilt. Guilt that sje is the reason her baby sister passed away
To think that she agreed to corruption just so she can have someone within her personal space highlights the depty of her loneliness and feeling of being wanted, get that attention she longed
Differently written in third person stance that just grasps your attention
Loniless is the one feeling that comes out throughout the pages but in all honesty Sfundo was just living because she had. She ìs fulll of self-hate, and mostly guilt. Guilt that sje is the reason her baby sister passed away
To think that she agreed to corruption just so she can have someone within her personal space highlights the depty of her loneliness and feeling of being wanted, get that attention she longed
Differently written in third person stance that just grasps your attention
August 2, 2020
Catchy
Not put down-able, left me hanging though 😉. Nice laidback read & not too twisty thriller. Predictable yet emotional somehow
Not put down-able, left me hanging though 😉. Nice laidback read & not too twisty thriller. Predictable yet emotional somehow
October 22, 2020
Wow what a sad, gripping story ....did it have to end
August 17, 2021
i love all her books
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2022
Looking forward to read this book
August 4, 2022
The ending left me hanging. Wished she could have put more in. Feels incomplete
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews