This Book Betrays My Brother

“Basi is as special as raindrops on dying crops. I say this not with jealousy but with apology, really; an honest, heartfelt and heartbreaking apology coming from a sister’s guilt. It is my way of explaining him and what he did lest you judge him too harshly after you listen to what I am about to tell you ...”

All her life, Naledi has been in awe of Basi, her charming and outgoing older brother. They’ve shared childhood laughter, secrets and alliances, the quirks of their parents, and stories of the adventurous boys from Kasi. At thirteen, Naledi is beginning her own adventures: Kitsano asks her to the matric dance, and she revels in a flurry of excited anticipation. Then, unexpectedly, Naledi sees Basi in an act that contradicts everything she believes about him.

Set in the shifting South African landscape of the mid-1990s, this nuanced coming-of-age story explores the bonds of sibling love and loyalty, and a young woman’s role in a complicated world.