A Family Affair

Sue Nyathi

Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 UJ LITERARY AWARD - BESTSELLER NOW IN PAPERBACK

Family is complicated ...

Meet the Mafus, a close-knit, traditional family with three daughters. As leaders of their church, The Kingdom of God, Pastor Abraham and his wife Phumla are guiding the community of Bulawayo in faith, while trying to keep the different branches of their family intact. Independent and feisty Xoliswa returns home, after a hiatus abroad, hoping for a fresh start and a chance to steer the family business; rebellious Yandisa has met the love of her life and is finally getting her act together; while dutiful newlywed Zandile is slowly becoming disillusioned with her happily ever after.

The Mafus always present a united front, but as their personal lives unravel, devastating secrets are revealed that threaten to tear the family apart. For how long will they be able to hide behind the façade of a picture-perfect family?

Sujets

• Siblings
• 21st century
• Sibling
• Sagas
• Christian
• Family Life
• Romance

Informations

• Publié par: Pan Macmillan South Africa
• Date de parution: 28 janvier 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781770107526
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

‘This story had me wrapped around its finger. What a warm reading experience. The authenticity of the characters is what endeared me the most to this tale. A gem!’ – PHEMELO MOTENE, broadcaster
‘ Think of an African Jane Austen (the clue is in the novel’s first sentence) writing a sexed-up depiction of the state of our modern relationships. We’re taken by hand through the causeways of our manners, mores and traditions; the origins and misuses of our cultural practices; the sometimes misguided appeal to myths, custom and religion to perpetuate things such as gender violence and the caste system; the lure of money and material wealth as weapons of predatory sexuality and toxic masculinity; the stubborn spirit of religious millennialism as the background of so much tragic African thinking, superstition and all. In short, A Family Affair is a modern soapie with a southern African zeitgeist.’ – MPHUTHUMI NTABENI, author of Broken River Tent
‘ A contemporary African saga that serves up all the ingredients: rags and riches, contested patriarchal legacies, hero women, sacred cross-border alliances, history, sex, the megachurch. Tradition and modernity have been told so well. The Greenleafs have nothing on the Mafus. This is the Zim that betrays her suffering and otherness imposed by those who are not intimate with her. The trio of the Mafu sisters makes the perfect set of jewels of a grand tale. What an epic story. Rich in the tradition of Virginia Andrews with hard-hitting depictions of social facts. And romance – so much romance!’ – KARABO K KGOLENG, writer, broadcaster, public speaker
‘ The character development is impeccable, gradual and deliberate. I resonated so much so with the characters that I walked miles in their diff erent shoes. When they hurt, I hurt too, when things were going well, I rooted for them. This is a dramatic and relatable read.’
– LESEGO MAKGATHO, Sunday Independent
‘ Full of plot twists and the authentic atmosphere of Zim in the 1990s and early 2000s, A Family Affair is a read that’s nostalgic, sad, shocking and hopeful. In spite of their foibles and follies, its protagonists are hard not to adore.’
– THANDO NDABEZITHA, You magazine
‘ Written in Nyathi’s crisp prose. A Family Affair explores the tensions and complex dynamics within a family and her writing will surely resonate intensely with readers who enjoy character-driven plotlines.’
– LLOYD MACKENZIE, Highway Mail
‘ Sue is a rockstar of storytelling. Her ability to grab the reader’s attention from the first sentences is one that is only found in a handful of authors. While the book is long, it is her crisp writing, with short chapters, that makes this book a page-turner. A Family Affair is a cracking novel and a sequel should be something the scribe should consider.’
– EZEKIEL KEKANA, EW Blog
‘ This is a delightfully self-involving read and in today’s world a highly relevant one for what it dishes up.’
– ORIELLE BERRY, Cape Argus
‘ Don’t dismiss A Family Affair as chick-lit; you will be making a mistake and miss out on a brilliant read.’
– The Gremlin
‘ A rollicking read of high living, high heels and low necklines.’ – PATRICIA MCCRACKEN, Farmer’s Weekly


A Family Affair




To my siblings,
Nduna, Kwanele, Nozipho
With love


A Family Affair
A Novel
Sue Nyathi
UPDATED EDITION WITH A NEW POSTSCRIPT
MACMILLAN
First published in 2020
This edition published in 2022
by Pan Macmillan South Africa
Private Bag X19
Northlands
2116
Johannesburg
South Africa
www.panmacmillan.co.za
ISBN 978-1-77010-751-9
e-ISBN 978-1-77010-752-6
© Sukoluhle Nyathi 2022, 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Editing by Jane Bowman
Proofreading by Katlego Tapala
Design and typesetting by Nyx Design
Cover design by Ayanda Phasha
Author photograph by Mogau Ramaila of 3rd Eye Visuals
@3rdeye.visuals
@3rdeye_visuals

Printed and bound by





Birth 1
Growth 139
Maturity 255
Decline 365
Epilogue 447
Postscript 457
Acknowledgements 469


F amily
L ike branches on a tree we all grow in different directions but our strong roots keep us all together.




Birth





It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of childbearing age must be in want of a husband. A truth that has been supplanted in the minds of many a woman and a truth that Zandile wrestles with that fine summer morning in December. She finds refuge in the bathroom, far from the madding crowd, and wrings her hands nervously over the full, tulle skirt of her wedding dress spilling around her. She wonders whether it might not be too late to make a run for it. She’s heard of weddings that carry on without the bride and groom. The guests could still salvage the occasion and make a party of it and they could go straight to their honeymoon; a perfect escape from the craziness around her.
She wants to get married but she’s not so sure she wants this . Her family has been at war with one another since this whole wedding thing had begun. Every detail had been a bone of contention, from the venue to the guest list to the menu.
As a young girl, she had dreamt about her wedding day. She had spent countless evenings with her sisters fantasising about the kind of weddings they would all have. None of them included any noisy politics. Their fantasies had been fanciful and fairytale-like.
She looks up at the small window but as slender as she is, there is no way she will be able to squeeze her body through it. She’s stuck and she feels like she’s suffocating. There is no way she can tear off her dress and make a run for it. Not now. Not at the final hour. A whole church awaits her arrival and an even bigger reception, with fancy place cards and printed napkins.
Suddenly there is a loud knock on the door which snaps her out of her daze. Her mother’s voice sounds through the door.
‘Zandile, are you still in there?’
‘I’m coming, Mama.’
‘Zandile, everyone is waiting!’
She can sense the irritation in her mother’s voice and it fuels her anxiety.
‘I’m coming!’ she says, more abruptly this time.
Zandile flushes the toilet, trying to keep up the pretense of actually needing to go to the bathroom. She stands up, gathers her skirt, and her wits too, and stare s at herself in the mirror and smiles uneasily.
You are going to be fine, she reassures herself.
She is going to be okay.
She is going to get through this.
She walks through the house and towards the front door and is greeted by the brilliant promise that often accompanies a new day. It isn’t even midday and the sun is beating down with an intensity that typically precedes an afternoon downpour. The rain is welcomed in the drought-stricken city of Bulawayo but most agree it would be better if the heavens would hold back on their showery blessing today. As she steps outside onto the patio, she is confronted by the jubilant singing and loud ululating of middle-aged, matronly women. They form a tunnel from the front doorstep of the Mafu household, down to the winding driveway, where a cavalcade of cars waits expectantly. Grass-woven mats with elaborate Ndebele artwork line the path that she walks on. They are her grandmother’s contribution to her special day, woven with patience and love, her fingers wrinkled with age. The mats are protecting Zandile’s snow-white dress from getting soiled, with its sweeping train, held by her sister, Yandisa. But this is not the primary reason for them; it’s an age-old tradition that a bride’s feet must never touch the ground, lest an enemy steals her footsteps.
Everyone agrees that Zandile looks like a princess in her Vera Wang wedding dress with its tight-fitting, diamant é-encrusted bodice accentuating her tiny waist. The dress flares into a full skirt of lace, tulle and organza. Those who are close enough to see, marvel at the elaborate beadwork and motifs. The women whisper amongst themselves how much the dress must have cost, especially imported from New York. Like every bride on her wedding day, Zandile looks exquisite. Her hair is swept up into a chignon, a pearl and diamond tiara resting on her head. Her flawless make-up expertly applied by a dedicated team at Clinique Caress, the local beauty salon. No expense had been spared and much time was expended to achieve her effortlessly beautiful look. An older woman from the crowd steps forward and pulls Zandile’s veil down, covering her fine features. An indication that she is a virgin. Untouched. Unspoilt. In her hands Zandile clutches a simple bouquet of white orchids sprayed with green vines. All eyes are transfixed on her as she makes her way to the Mercedes Benz that is waiting to ferry her to the church. The exuberant singing accompanies her and the matronly women clap rhythmically, their buttocks bouncing in unison, swathes of material swirling around them.
‘ Woza lay ’ umakoti! ’
This line is repeated over and over again, their voices rising to a feverish crescendo. Weddings are celebrated as something of a spectacle and filled with much ceremony and it is a day every woman is groomed for throughout her life.
Primed, primped and plucked for the d