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A review by saareman
Innie Shadows by Olivia M. Coetzee
4.0
In The Shadows
A review of the House of Anansi Spiderline paperback (October 15, 2024) English translation by the author from the Afrikaaps language original [b:Innie Shadows|52848367|Innie Shadows|Olivia M. Coetzee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585652361l/52848367._SX50_.jpg|79019634] (2019).
I was immediately curious about Innie Shadows when its English translation was published by Canada's House of Anansi this past week in its Spiderline crime & mysteries imprint. It is reportedly the first ever English translation from a novel originally written in the Kaaps language, either a dialect or a separate language from Afrikaans (see below for a link to an article about that).
The book is novella length and a fast read. Its story is set in the Cape Town community of Shadow Heights, which takes its name from being in the shadow of the imposing Table Mountain which overlooks the city in South Africa.
A view of Table Mountain and Cape Town, South Africa as seen from a distance. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The chapters switch POV between several characters, the main 5 of whom were friends since childhood. There is trans woman Nique (short for Veronique, formerly Vernon) a hairdresser, Carl a meth addict and gofer for a local crime lord, Sara a student who hopes for an international scholarship, Gershwin the secret male lover of a local pastor and Ley a police officer.
Carl has been missing for a few weeks and recently a burnt body has been discovered in the nearby forest. Carl's friends fear the worst but the secrets they uncover are worse than they could possibly imagine.
Innie Shadows was a compulsive read, although to some extent the reader will be able to predict what the characters themselves will only later discover. I was especially glad to discover the background to the Kaaps language and learn about the original South African publisher Modjaji Books, whose tagline is "Making rain for South African women writers and readers."
Trivia and Links
You can read the English language Chapter 1 excerpt from Innie Shadows at Words Without Borders here from The Queer Issue XII, June 8, 2021.
You can read Olivia M. Coetzee's article about the Kaaps / Afrikaaps language at The Language called Kaaps: An Introduction, Words Without Borders, November 2, 2021.
A review of the House of Anansi Spiderline paperback (October 15, 2024) English translation by the author from the Afrikaaps language original [b:Innie Shadows|52848367|Innie Shadows|Olivia M. Coetzee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585652361l/52848367._SX50_.jpg|79019634] (2019).
I was immediately curious about Innie Shadows when its English translation was published by Canada's House of Anansi this past week in its Spiderline crime & mysteries imprint. It is reportedly the first ever English translation from a novel originally written in the Kaaps language, either a dialect or a separate language from Afrikaans (see below for a link to an article about that).
The book is novella length and a fast read. Its story is set in the Cape Town community of Shadow Heights, which takes its name from being in the shadow of the imposing Table Mountain which overlooks the city in South Africa.
A view of Table Mountain and Cape Town, South Africa as seen from a distance. Image sourced from Wikipedia.
The chapters switch POV between several characters, the main 5 of whom were friends since childhood. There is trans woman Nique (short for Veronique, formerly Vernon) a hairdresser, Carl a meth addict and gofer for a local crime lord, Sara a student who hopes for an international scholarship, Gershwin the secret male lover of a local pastor and Ley a police officer.
Carl has been missing for a few weeks and recently a burnt body has been discovered in the nearby forest. Carl's friends fear the worst but the secrets they uncover are worse than they could possibly imagine.
Innie Shadows was a compulsive read, although to some extent the reader will be able to predict what the characters themselves will only later discover. I was especially glad to discover the background to the Kaaps language and learn about the original South African publisher Modjaji Books, whose tagline is "Making rain for South African women writers and readers."
Trivia and Links
You can read the English language Chapter 1 excerpt from Innie Shadows at Words Without Borders here from The Queer Issue XII, June 8, 2021.
You can read Olivia M. Coetzee's article about the Kaaps / Afrikaaps language at The Language called Kaaps: An Introduction, Words Without Borders, November 2, 2021.