The writing is hauntingly beautiful! This was a book I could slow down with after binging on thrillers. I loved the gothic elements and the unhinged female character. I just love an unhinged lady mystery where we get to figure out what caused her to go overboard! If you love gorgeous writing with a mix of gothic suspense and immersing yourself in a world outside of your own, try this book on for size! My only gripe is the way it wrapped up, I would have ended on a little more mystery, but I know the majority of readers like a story tied up in a pretty bow.

This book elicited a quiet rage in me the likes of which I have never known.

There's a lot to say about how incredible Nadia Davids' writing is. The atmospheric tension of this story was a character of its own, and getting to see Cape Town through the eyes of this novel felt like such a privelege. The sights, the smells, the wind on heated skin: it all came through Davids' writing as if I were standing in the South African sun myself.

I can't help but focus in on the theme of loneliness and the importance of community in this story. Alice Hattingh is one of the most challenging characters I've ever had to wrap my head around - while I understand the horror of what she's been through as a mother, I cannot seem to find it in me to sympathize with how isolated and alone she is. She is truly a villain, in a way only a cis/white/female colonizer could be. She somehow manages to be simultaneously painfully alone and yet eager to take every opportunity to point out how "other" she is from Soraya and her people. She even keeps her countrywomen at arms length, inisisting on maintaining that she is somehow morally superior to them (even though we, the readers, know that this couldn't be further from the truth).

Soraya couldn't have possible shown more restraint in her handling of Mrs. Hattingh, and quite frankly I don't think Alice deserved it. She was punished by her employer for having the audacity to have something that the old white lady didn't - access to her family, her community, the love of her fiance, and the grace and tenacity to live a fulfilling life. This story really hits the reader square in the chest and asks you to consider how we fit into the world around us, and the part we play in our own isolation.

It's impossible to talk about this novel without discussing the play of race and cultural appropriation. Mrs. Hattingh is quick to applaud and absorb pieces of the South African experience (the food, the art), and just as quick to subtly (and often NOT so subtly) denegrate the people who make the art, prepare the food, provide access to the fine things that she enjoys. She falls into that trap that so many white "saviors" fall into where they feel the need to applaud the minutiae of life in other cultures as if it's some kind of miracle that they might have any of the conveniences and joys white cultures take for granted. What a shock that there is beauty and value in their art! That they can read and write! That the food they prepare is so delightful to enjoy!

I loved this novel. It simmers under the skin until about the last 75%, when the tension finally boils over. I am so grateful to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an early copy of this incredible story!

3.5⭐️. A breezy novel that manages to comment on racial tension, class distinctions, and spiritual differences all in 240 economical pages. Soraya is a young African Muslim who goes to work for the English woman, Mrs Hattingh. She doesn’t wish to stay at the house, but Mrs. Hattingh makes this an essential job requirement. Soraya, feels uneasy in the house, and detects a presence. Although she is Muslim, she is still tethered to her ancestral beliefs and practices, so the presence doesn’t frighten her, in fact she embraces all of the homes’ eccentricities. In an effort to acquiesce to the beliefs at the time, Soraya downplays her literacy and as a result, Mrs. Hattingh volunteers to write letters for Soraya to her boyfriend who is away at work on a farm. When things between Soraya and her boyfriend began to unravel, well Soraya instinctively knows what could have happened. Getting to this denouement is fun, thrilling and intriguing. The novel is a pleasant read and in ways, enlightening.Thanks to Netgalley and Simon&Schuster for an advanced DRC. Book drops 12.09.25

This is a sad, disturbing story of a young woman, Soraya Matas who is hired by Mrs. Hattingh to be a personal maid, cook and companion in a time when jobs are scarce. Knowing her family needs the money, Soraya allows Mrs. Hattingh to dictate and consume more of her life and time from her. Little by little, Soraya's world is becoming smaller and after Mrs. Hattingh offers to write letters to Soraya's finance on her behalf to communicate with Nour. When things start to go wrong in her life, Soraya is confused and saddened. What caused the friction between her and Nour, why was he denied his position at the teachers college, and why does Mrs. Hattingh son's continue to cancel his visits?

The story contains some elements of racist comments and attitudes, twisted thinking and misguided attempts to control another. A bit slow but well written, the characters of Soraya and her family are delightful. The character of Mrs. Hattingh appears to be hard and demanding but kind yet in reality, she is cold, deceivingly scary. Quite a gothic story and if you enjoy those types of story, you will enjoy this.

A quick but immersive read, Cape Fever is perfect for readers of Post-Colonial literature and for all readers in general. A poignant and important novel, Cape Fever is a must-read.

Don’t go into this expecting a fast-paced horror story.
This is, instead, a well-constructed novel with gothic storytelling flourishes. It’s an excellent study on colonialism, xenophobia, and class, told with spirits and a bit of mystery.

The haunted house Soraya finds herself working in has less to do with demonic possession or poltergeists (though the house and its inhabits do have a ton of agency) and more with her relationship to the spirits and their history. Think psychological horror, with fewer jump scares and less time spent trying to frighten the reader than engage us. Sometimes the best monster stories are the ones keeping you guessing about who the monster is after all.

Folks who loved Mexican Gothic or the Haunting of Hill House (the novel, not the adaptations) would likely enjoy this one. Especially folks interested in ghost stories rooted strongly in place and time—the South African Muslim community is the besting heart of this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this. A story about a maid and her employer and the slow unraveling of a web of lies between them, as well as some interestingly contrasting family dynamics. Soraya and Mrs. Hattingh are opposites in pretty much every way, (social status, race, religion, age, family connections). From the beginning, you get the sense that something gigantic is going on under the surface.
The second half of this book is stronger than the first half, which is quite slow and not especially entertaining. It feels important mostly because it sets up Soraya's strange connection with spirits and ghosts and because it establishes her family members as characters. The real meat of the story comes when Mrs. Hattingh suggests that she starts writing letters to Nour, her fiance.
I won't get into spoilers, but the revalation towards the end of the book was truly blood-boiling, even though the book is pretty obviously building up to it. I think there is a lot of interesting material for thought there in terms of the politics and power dynamics of literacy and the master-servant relationship, and the way Hattingh's need for family and connection subsumes Soraya's life. Soraya becomes less of a servant and more of a slave as she has to give away more and more of her self just to keep this position.

A tense, finely wrought novella about racism, ignorance, trust and betrayal, in 1930s South Africa.

Absolutely beautifully written about an imaginative and independent young Muslim woman who becomes the live-in maid/cook/gardener for an older white widow in her crumbling and haunted home.

Davids creates a fine balance of micro-aggressions, grudges, manipulations and secrets that builds such sweet suspense.

Cape Fever by Nadia David is beautifully written . The voice of Soraya portrays what it is like to be powerless as a maid in colonial times. She is treated horribly and taken advantage of with little she can do.
Her employer, Ms. Hattingh, has secrets of her own, and thinks of herself as a savior. She takes advantage of Soraya and works to control everything about her including her personal life.

Soraya has become a maid for Mrs Hattingh, a lonely woman whose son has remained far away in London after being a soldier during WW1. The house is filled with sadness and ghosts. Soraya wants nothing more than to quit the job but Mrs Hattingh’s grip on her life slowly tightens. Will Soraya be able to break free?
Gothic thriller set in a colonial empire- lovely writing.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own.

I was not familiar with this author but the book’s description intrigued me. How delighted was I to read such a beautifully written story of one young woman’s developing empowerment over cultural and emotional restraints. In 1920, in a Muslim city in a British colony, Soraya takes the position of maid to a wealthy Englishwoman. Early on, she is aware that this is a role to be played in order to keep a position that allows her to send money home. Soraya soon learns that her employer’s oddities are both destructive and malicious, and she must cleverly thwart them in order to regain the freedom she once had. The author’s evocative descriptions capture the sights and fragrant smells of Soraya’s cape city. I had to Google a few of the Muslim words to better understand what I was reading, but this in no way detracted from a sublime experience.

In 1920 Soraya a young Muslim woman, is sent to be a maid for Mrs. Hattingh, she finds a crumbling mansion and Mrs. Hattingh is consumed by grief for her son.

3.5 rounded up. I invested a lot of time into reading this book, and as tempted as I was to dnf, I kept hoping a story would emerge among the beautiful, atmospheric writing. It finally does, at 80% along. That is too long to wait for something to happen. Patience required.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Cape Fever by Nadia Davids
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Gothic Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: December 9, 2025

1920s Colonial Empire
Historical Fiction
Haunted Manor
Super Slow Burn

Soraya works for Mrs. Hattingh, a woman who seemed kind enough initially but slowly turns into a nightmare of an employer.

I definitely expected the "paranomal" element to show itself more in the story than just the FMC seeing deceased employees and talking to them on occasion. This, for the majority of the book, reads less like a psychological thriller and more like historical litfic.

Though it took a while, the build up was worth the wait. The climax was crazy and I quite enjoyed part 3! The story is wrapped up beautifully!

If you don't mind a bit of a slow burn and enjoy historical fiction with just a touch of paranomal, Cape Fever may be the book for you!

Thank you so much Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

This suffers mildly from identity issues: It isn't, strictly speaking, gothic, but it also isn't necessarily not gothic. To be perfectly honest, it's a fresher version of Henry James, but that's not an unequivocally good thing either.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that Gothic psychological setting that I enjoyed from books like Haunting of Hill House, and does the story type justice. I really enjoyed getting into this world and how the spirits were uses perfectly in this story. The characters were so well done and had that element of a psychological thriller that I was wanting. I was invested in the 1920s element and how it was used in the suspenseful atmosphere, it had a strong writing style and was hooked from the first page and so glad I got to read this. Nadia Davids has a strong writing style and loved this addition to the Gothic manor genre.

Just because the action takes place in an old house, doesn’t mean it’s gothic. I had some other problems with this one. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be YA, and it often felt like a short story stretched into a novella, that really should have been fleshed out into a full novel. Other than mentions of the war, it was very hard to get a sense of the era we were in.

It’s 1920, and Soraya Matas—a young Muslim woman from the Cape Flats—is sent to work as a maid for Mrs. Hattingh, a white widow clinging to the ruins of her estate and the memory of a son shattered by war. Soraya is told she will have shelter and a steady wage. What she finds is a decaying house perched on the edge of time, a woman whose grief has curdled into control, and a silence that grows louder by the day.

From the very first page, Davids envelops you in atmosphere. The sea fog, the house sighs. Mrs. Hattingh is imperious, brittle yet oddly tender and Soraya, is determined, watchful, and clever. There are spirits here but the real haunting lies in colonial violence, class divides,and gendered silences. What makes Cape Fever extraordinary is its restraint. This is not horror in the conventional sense. There are no jump scares, no shrieks in the night. The horror is domestic. The suspense is psychological.

Cape Fever lingers. Is A gothic novel for those who understand that the most terrifying thing isn’t the ghost, it’s being unseen.#simon&schuster #capefever #nadiadavids

While the plot is all too predictable, you're not going to read this book for the plot. You're going to read it for the language and description and ghosts and living characters and the sense of time and place and context, presented to you in such a way that you want to linger over sentences and have to remind yourself to breathe. In 1920, in a place colonized by whites, Soraya, a young black woman, takes a job as a maid of all work and cook, employed by a white widow whose mind and habits and moods are overbearing and unstable. Over time, as her white employer takes more and more from her, Soraya is strengthened by the ghosts of the house, her own courage, and her desire to be with family. The denouement is a relief and the epilogue lovely. Book groups should snap this one up.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Cape Fever. This is a book I had trouble putting down.
I was kept on my toes as I wondered if the story would take a turn into the Horror fantasy genre. Or if the fantasy aspects of the story would overtake the historical fiction genre. Cape fever is a great balance, never delving too deeply into one or the other and thus the story continues to resonate with me long after reading.
I am adding Nadia Davids to my list of author's books worth reading. Loved Cape Fever!