Themba Limba has everything going for him until he makes a terrible mistake.
He sleeps with his widowed aunt Gladys.
Gladys has had her husband killed because she suspected him of having an affair and is now living with her son Zakhele.
After several quarrels with his mother over her new boyfriend, Zakhele leaves home for Johannesburg.
One Sunday morning Themba wakes up with a throbbing head - in his aunt's bed.
They had been at Gladys' friend's party where they had drunk far too much.
It is after sharing the under-waist bliss that Gladys tells Themba she hired someone to kill her husband.
She is sent to prison, where she gives birth to Themba's daughter, Nosipho.
Themba has no idea the child is his and later, he sleeps with Nosipho.
His wife Thuli, a social worker, finds out about her husband's affair when Nosipho comes to her for counselling.
She is HIV positive.
Themba, a school principal and a councillor, finds his world crumbling down.
His wife leaves him, he is demoted as principal and almost everyone in the community despises him.
Before Nosipho dies she wants to see Themba but he refuses to do so. She then asks for him to speak at her funeral.
In his attempt to regain his respect in the community, the disgraced Themba grants Nosipho her dying wish.
Not only does Themba speak at the funeral, he also defies his Xhosa culture by crying in public because "without tears [man] is complete".
This brilliantly written book will keep readers engrossed until the end.
Brilliantly written from start to finish
Themba Limba has everything going for him until he makes a terrible mistake.
He sleeps with his widowed aunt Gladys.
Gladys has had her husband killed because she suspected him of having an affair and is now living with her son Zakhele.
After several quarrels with his mother over her new boyfriend, Zakhele leaves home for Johannesburg.
One Sunday morning Themba wakes up with a throbbing head - in his aunt's bed.
They had been at Gladys' friend's party where they had drunk far too much.
It is after sharing the under-waist bliss that Gladys tells Themba she hired someone to kill her husband.
She is sent to prison, where she gives birth to Themba's daughter, Nosipho.
Themba has no idea the child is his and later, he sleeps with Nosipho.
His wife Thuli, a social worker, finds out about her husband's affair when Nosipho comes to her for counselling.
She is HIV positive.
Themba, a school principal and a councillor, finds his world crumbling down.
His wife leaves him, he is demoted as principal and almost everyone in the community despises him.
Before Nosipho dies she wants to see Themba but he refuses to do so. She then asks for him to speak at her funeral.
In his attempt to regain his respect in the community, the disgraced Themba grants Nosipho her dying wish.
Not only does Themba speak at the funeral, he also defies his Xhosa culture by crying in public because "without tears [man] is complete".
This brilliantly written book will keep readers engrossed until the end.