Through a non-linear, almost mosaic style, False Bay tells the stories of a number of people, who come together with interwoven lives filled with trauma, joy, loss and growth. We have the quietly gay man, murdered by a make sex worker. The son of a cross dressing father and an alcoholic mother, who lives with FASD and loves a Palestinian man. A gay priest who was reunited with his one true love only once that love was on his death bed, dying of AIDS. And many more tales of lives, existing in words alongside South African apartheid, Catholic sex crimes against children, the AIDS Crisis, chatGPT, and shared trauma.

At first, I found the story somewhat hard to follow, with the overlapping narratives and abundant characters (there are even a few POV moments from pets), but the tale became easier to follow as the book continued. Now, I am left feeling reflective and thoughtful, with much to ruminate over upon finishing.

False Bay is a unique story, and I’m grateful to have read it. Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC