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The Reactive

Masande Ntshanga author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd

Published:1st Sep '17

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The Reactive cover

In a city that has lost its shimmer, Lindanathi and his two friends Ruan and Cecelia sell illegal pharmaceuticals while chasing their next high. Lindanathi, deeply troubled by his hand in his brother's death, has turned his back on his family, until a message from home reminds him of a promise he made years before. When a puzzling masked man enters their lives, Lindanathi is faced with a decision: continue his life in Cape Town, or return to his family and to all he has left behind.

Rendered in lyrical, bright prose and set in a not-so-new South Africa, The Reactive is a poignant, life-affirming story about secrets, memories and the redemption that comes from facing what haunts us most.

An extraordinary debut. Out of the unpromising subjects of HIV and substance abuse Ntshanga crafts a novel of devastating emotional power. Stylistically sophisticated and beautifully observed.

  • Winner of Betty Trask Award 2018 (UK)
  • Runner-up for Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize 2018 (South Africa)
  • Short-listed for Saboteur Awards 2018 (UK)
  • Long-listed for Etisalat Prize for Literature 2018 (Nigeria)

ISBN: 9781909762596

Dimensions: 196mm x 126mm x 14mm

Weight: 160g

174 pages