Hum If You Don't Know the Words

DEBUT In this lyrical first novel, Marais transports readers to 1970s South Africa, when apartheid still ruled. Interwoven chapters follow the story of ten-year-old Robin, coming of age after her parents are found dead and she resettles with carefree aunt Edith in Johannesburg, and of Beauty, a Xhosa woman actively searching for daughter Nomsa, who goes missing after a Soweto uprising. With vivid imagery, Marais brings compelling characters to life to create a haunting novel evocative of works by Chinelo Okparanta and Nadia Hashimi. After Beauty is hired to care for Robin, their fates become forever entwined by Maggie, a librarian-activist secretly assisting Xhosa people in seeking refuge from authorities. Robin's search for solace leads to blossoming friendships with Morrie, who's struggling to find his place within the marginalized Jewish community, and Victor, navigating life in a world where neighbors are suspicious of his sexuality. There is also Robin's sister Cat, who is both a comfort and a hindrance until she is not; revealing more would be saying too much.