BOOK BITES | Shafinaaz Hassim, Elly Conway, Kuchenga Shenjé

Darlings of Durban ***
Shafinaaz Hassim
Kwela Books

Four women from Durban are part of a chat group, the Darlings, which is a therapeutic lifeline for the friends. Natasha, the youngest and the main protagonist, is the daughter of returned exiles and is dating Sizwe, a man who is crazy about her. She, however, does not feel the same way about him and is not ready to settle down. Then there is Sofia, the wife of a wealthy businessman. Farhana and Razia are cousins who are both in troubled marriages — Farhana to Mike, a selfish man whose obsession is with himself and chess, and Razia to Joe, a sneering, abusive man who expects her to be a traditional wife. Leaving her office one evening, Natasha is accosted by a man. Another man intervenes, and Natasha is mesmerised by the good looks of her saviour, Fahim. Fahim tells her he has a business proposition. He asks her to marry him. It would be a one-year fixed-term marriage contract, he says, to appease his family, who just want to see him married. He says he knows she’s not interested in marriage either and it would be mutually convenient. Why not have a trial marriage, she thinks? Hassim is a great storyteller, with an easy style. This, her latest novel, focuses on women’s friendship and their support for each other. An enjoyable read. — Gabriella Bekes

Argylle *****
Elly Conway
Transworld Publishers

This intriguing novel has caused quite a stir. After the discovery that author Conway doesn’t exist, the rumours started and the internet started suggesting that people like Taylor Swift and JK Rowling were the real writers. But, no, it’s actually a collaboration between Terry Hayes, the author of I Am Pilgrim and British author Tammy Cohen, who has churned out some dark and delightful reads. Argylle is the epic story of Aubrey Argylle, an incredibly unusual character, who starts out as a loser until an incident of compassion and utter brilliance draws him to the attention of CIA legendary spy master Frances Coffey, the most powerful woman in the secret world. And so, after a crash course in espionage, Argylle is pulled into a completely new life as part of a team of undercover agents tasked with top-secret missions. It’s an adventure and a roller-coaster ride as the complex character that is Argylle reveals himself to be weird and fantastic, antisocial and deep. It’s a gripping, rollicking read. The book is a companion piece to the film starring Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L Jackson and John Cena.

The Library Thief ****
Kuchenga Shenjé
Little Brown

Another book with the word “library” in it. I guess it makes sense: people who love reading love books, love libraries, and so on. Set in 1896 in Lancashire, Florence Granger arrives at Rose Hall, the Georgian mansion of Lord Francis Belfield, who employs her to restore the books in his collection. However, she is there under false pretences, as her father kicked her out (her Jamaican roots, rebelliousness and hair cannot be hidden or tamed) and she has nowhere else to go. Also, Lord Belfield’s wife died mysteriously. A delightful Jane Austen/Bridgerton mystery romp with themes that speak directly to the world we live in today. — Jennifer Platt