IN THE SHADOWS

Author: Olivia M. Coetzee

Publisher: Modjaji Books

Reviewer: Hazel Makuzeni

In the Shadows is definitely the best fiction I’ve read so far this year. Not only is it fast-paced, but also deeply moving with a set of irresistible yet wounded characters. Set in Shadow Heights, on the fringes of Cape Town, the novel is plagued by poverty, drug abuse, homophobia, and disenfranchisement. Residents make do with the little that they have while others dream of a better life somewhere else. Those who have lost all sense of hope are mostly drugged-up, holed-up at Balla’s shebeen – Balla being the biggest gangster in the Shadows.

Carl’s life wasn’t meant to turn out this way. He was a stellar student with four besties with whom to to weather the storm. But now, consumed with feeding his dragon (Tik addiction), he’s a shadow of his former self. A druggie alienated from his best friends; Carl will do anything for his next fix. Even selling his soul to the devil seems to be the price worth paying. When he goes missing, his friends are at a loss, and it’s one more case for Ley (a young detective and a friend) to solve. Bodies have been pilling-up at Shadow Heights – the latest been discovered burned beyond recognition in a rugby field.

Olivia M. Coetzee’s novel resonated so much with me as someone who lives in a township and can attest to the harsh realities of existence. As it is in Shadow Heights, people know each other. Unemployment, drug abuse and homophobia are rife. There’s always a well-known crime lord, a bitter mother, drunkards and druggies running amok, a rumourmonger, and an over zealot pastor easily found in any section of the township – at worst, all could be living in your alley. It’s not uncommon to be woken up in the early hours by blaring music from a tavern, or a fly-by-night church. Normal rules simply don’t apply. So, it comes to be that in Shadow Heights you have a charismatic church that’s hell-bent in getting rid of the undesirables, i.e., the homosexuals by any means.

Olivia’s crime fiction can easily be adapted into a gripping movie. It has all the hallmarks for success. She’s the real deal and captures the fascinating lives of the people of Shadow Heights with vigour and understanding. She currently lives in Ceres, Western Cape, and has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Cape Town.