Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud

I wish I could stay where I am right now.

In the in-between, neither here nor there.

The past behind me, the future a distant dream.

The news of her mother’s death pulls Hannah back from South Korea to her childhood home in the Karoo where she discovers that she has never escaped her abusive father and passive mother. That, in fact, she has been there all along, baking bread and raising a son whose father might be a local farmer she is having an affair with. Her world unravels as she struggles to separate the life she has built for herself from the one she survived. Unsettling, eerie and evocative, Who Looks Inside explores themes of childhood trauma in a working-class Afrikaans family.

“Poetic, atmospheric and haunting—Who Looks Inside is an intricate and compelling exploration of family trauma, small-town secrets and the decisions that seal our destinies.” — JENNIFER MALEC

ISBN: 978-1-0672224-2-0

Publication date: May 2024

Cover artworks: Serena Moodley Anderson | Cover design: Monique Cleghorn

About the author:

ANNA STROUD loves books. Like, really loves them. Authors, too. She once travelled over two hundred kilometres by bus from Daegu to Wonju in South Korea to hear Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o speak. She’s been reading Antjie Krog since the age of eleven, even the sweary bits. She moved close to Love Books so she’d never miss a book launch. Naturally, she’d become a writer, with stories appearing in Grocott’s Mail, Cue, WordStock, The Sunday Times, Books LIVE, City Press, The Reading List, Daily Maverick, The Johannesburg Review of Books, tagged! and Business Day, among others. When she’s not writing, she’s walking her husband, Sean, and two dogs, Raven and Poe, at the park. Who Looks Inside is her debut novel.

Karina Author, Book, Event

CROOKED SEEDS by Karen Jennings launched at The Book Lounge

Deidre, the “compelling”, in Hedley Twidle’s words, protagonist of Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings, had her first official outing in her hometown, Cape Town, last night at The Book Lounge. The bookshop was filled with writers and readers who wished Deidre – this broken, fascinating, difficult character – well. “She is horrific,” the author said about her creation, “but I loved writing her.” And she emphasised that no matter how difficult certain aspect of the novel are to read, Crooked Seeds is her love song for South Africa, a country she cares about deeply: “I am in awe of our resilience, and the people who are saving communities, caring for others, despite all the failures of the officials.”

“She is a word surgeon,” Mervyn said of Karen in the introduction to the evening. She is indeed. And Dr Karen Jennings is also a hermit by her own admission, finding “all my writing a never-ending hell. At some point in my life,” she said, “I must have signed a contract with the devil. I asked to be a writer, and I was granted the wish, but I did not read the small print, which said: you will be a writer, but you will be in agony from now on.” Agony and all, she hasn’t lost her humour. And her exquisite writing is a precious gift to our literary world.

Thank you, Karen, for writing another incisive, stunning novel and for being the wonderful person you are. Thank you to Hedley and The Book Lounge team for all the incredible support. To all who were there: mountains of gratitude!

Dear Readers,
May Deidre make you feel, and think about our own fragility and brokenness. She is impossible to ignore …

Karina Author, Book, Event

Last night at The Book Lounge: UCT Writers Series with Frankie Murrey and Bongani Kona

When introducing Frankie Murrey last night at the first UCT Writers Series event taking place at The Book Lounge, Sindiswa Busuku called Frankie a “worker of the imagination”. It is an apt title for the literary powerhouse that she is. Every time I listen to Frankie speak about her work – the curation of the Open Book Festival and her writing – I am inspired. Her words make me want to return to my own writing. The way she reads and actually sees the world, in books and beyond, is a true gift to the literary community. She was in conversation with the ever-thoughtful, funny and incisive Bongani Kona. Listening to them discuss literature and Frankie’s “distinctive” – as Bongani called it – debut, Everyone Dies, was an extraordinary experience.

Here are only a few snippets of what Frankie shared with the audience:

“I read compulsively. If nothing else is available, I will read the text on a shampoo bottle.”

“It’s amazing to see what is happening in this country moving onto the published page.”

“Everything I know, everything I am is through books, through reading and writing.”

“I’m interested in writing in such a way that anything I write about becomes accessible while still preserving the beauty of language; I’m interested in finding a simplicity that holds.”

“I love microscopes because they allow you to look at something in an intense way.”

Click here to buy Everyone Dies at The Book Lounge: Everyone Dies by Frankie Murrey

In March 2024, Frankie won the HSS Award for Best Emerging Author in the Fiction Category for Everyone Dies.

Karina Author, Book, Event

GOOD HOPE by Nick Clelland launched at 6 Spin Street

What an evening! The crowds gathered at 6 Spin Street to celebrate the launch of Good Hope by Nick Clelland last night.

Nick was in conversation with the wonderful Refilwe Moloto, who asked all the pertinent and intriguing questions and made us laugh.

Good Hope was written during lockdown. ‘It is my banana bread,’ Nick said. To bring the setting – an alternative, speculative present-day Cape Town that is the capital of a new independent country, the Good Hope Territory – he had to do some serious world-building. The result was a fictional Wikipedia entry longer than the one real South Africa has at present. But only excerpts from it feature in the novel. The rest is a fast-paced narrative about a handful of characters trying to make themselves at home in this strange, new – and eerie – world. ‘It is Cape Town, but it ain’t,’ Nick said.

It is a riveting read about what happens when ‘liberty is on fire’. Nick told us that he wanted ‘to poke the bear’ and examine the concept of freedom, even more so now when we are approaching the next elections. Good Hope does not give answers to difficult questions about franchise, privacy and agency, but is not afraid to ask them. ‘If you read this book and do not feel awkward at some stage, you are probably a psychopath,’ he said. ‘I wanted to shake things up, to provoke a conversation. Politics can and should be fun.’

Many questions from the audience followed, including one about what people in the Good Hope Territory do for fun … The usual, was the answer. But I doubt that they have such fabulous book launches 🙂

Thank you to Nick and Refilwe for the enticing conversation. To 6 Spin Street for hosting! To all who attended! And to our amazing Book Lounge for EVERYTHING!

Enjoy the thought-provoking read!

Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: IN SILENCE MY HEART SPEAKS by Thobeka Yose

In Silence My Heart Speaks

I show my scars now with pride because I survived. This is me owning my story, all of it, the good and the bad.

A searing and brave memoir chronicling the author’s resilience, compassion and growth as she moves from a childhood of trauma, through the challenges of dealing with the early loss of her beloved husband and becoming a single parent as well as subsequently accompanying her child on a difficult journey of self-discovery, to a life of acceptance and forgiveness. Thobeka Yose confronts the taboos surrounding mental health, abuse, betrayal and sexual identity with fearless honesty, kindness and understanding that will inspire countless others.

Foreword by Nancy Richards.

Publication date: May 2024

ISBN: 978-1-0672224-0-6

About the author:

Hailing from Bizana, Eastern Cape, THOBEKA YOSE cultivated a love for storytelling in the fertile soil of primary school. Initially drawn to the corporate world, she pursued studies in marketing and business. However, the allure of narrative proved irresistible, prompting Thobeka to embark on a writer’s journey. She has edited and contributed to publications locally and internationally. Prior to the pandemic, Thobeka’s repertoire expanded into the realm of audio storytelling. As producer of ‘Touch Down With Top Women’ for Top Radio, she captivated audiences across Africa and beyond with her year-long programme. The ink in her veins continues to flow. As Content Manager at Batazia, Thobeka empowers aspiring writers and publishers by facilitating the dissemination of their works on a global platform, encompassing diverse African languages. This role fuels her passion for language and the profound fulfilment it brings. Beyond the written word, Thobeka is a vocal advocate for women’s rights and a staunch opponent of gender-based violence. Her unwavering commitment has led her to address audiences at various women’s events. From the sun-drenched fields of Bizana to the global stage of storytelling and social activism, Thobeka’s journey continues to inspire and uplift.

Karina Author, Book, Event

Amy Heydenrych’s BAD LUCK PENNY launched at The Book Lounge

It was a heart-warming literary evening at The Book Lounge when Amy Heydenrych interrupted her Cape holiday to launch her beautiful new novel, Bad Luck Penny, with us on Thursday evening. She was in conversation with Qarnita Loxton and spoke about all the love she poured into writing this book. You can feel it on every page. It is a privilege to be able to share it now with other Readers as it makes its way into the world …

Thank you, Amy, for publishing this gem with Karavan Press!

And thank you to all who made the launch so special, especially Qarnita and The Book Lounge! Qarnita Fans, we have good news: her new novel is coming soon too!

Look at this beautiful gift Amy received from her Mom to celebrate the launch of Bad Luck Penny. The design matches Monique Cleghorn’s exquisite (as always) page design of the book.

Karina Author, Book, Event

The launch of GOOD HOPE by Nick Clelland

One month before our elections, on 29 April 2024, we are launching Good Hope. Nick Clelland‘s daring debut novel takes us on an imaginative journey to the heart of an unsettling alternative reality where the Western Cape is an independent country. The Good Hope Territory is entering its next elections cycle which could potentially unseat the governing party and see a new First Minister voted into power. On the surface of things, this is a well-functioning state with a booming economy. But at what cost? And what are the people vying for power prepared to sweep under the Mother City’s table cloth to achieve their goals?

Please join us for the launch of this fast-paced, intriguing novel that will make you see the present in a new light.

Nick will be in conversation with Refilwe Moloto.

Please note the venue: 6 Spin Street 

THE WESTERN CAPE IS NOW AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.
SUCCESSFUL, SAFE,
MURDEROUS

Lisa Robinson has moved from Durban to Cape Town to be with Grant, the prospective next First Minister of the Good Hope Territory. The GHT is the safest and most prosperous country in the southern hemisphere – at a price. Citizens contract to be tracked by drones, executions are synchronised to the Noon Gun and only those with qualifications are permitted to vote in the Qualified Franchise system. Life here is picture-perfect. The Mother City is pristine. Everyone has a job. Tourism is booming. But this shiny new state has decided that Lisa is a problem, and problems here disappear quickly and quietly.

‘A riveting read and a scary glimpse into what happens when liberty is traded for order. Unputdownable.’ — GEORDIN HILL-LEWIS