Murder, lesbian love and transformation

I HAVE read four books this week, and perhaps the only thing they have in common is that they are about people, about the so-called human state. And sometimes, as you know, we do find ourselves in quite a state ...

I start with the Afrikaans one, then the local English one and branch out to the USA and the UK.

When I was young, I loved reading Eleanor Baker's love stories, such as Weerkaatsings, a fairy tale. They were elegant, refined, like Helene de Kock's novels. Attention to characterisation and setting. This Baker novel too is a love story, but obliquely, sort of by the way. Actually it is domestic noir to the marrow, written before the term was even coined.

Five sisters have been living in a dilapidated old house since the death of their parents. They'd inherited money, but the eldest, Rosa, rules them with an iron fist and controls all the finances. She is stingy and refuses to have the house and garden maintained, because it would entail strangers on the site. She holds a grudge against men and forbids her sisters from going out or getting married. How does she manage it, you want to know? Each poor sister's will was broken from a young age – their mother died prematurely and Rosa was the matriarch, with a filthy temper and her own will one of iron. Totally devoid of compassion and empathy.

Rosa is now 60 years old, the twin sisters Jasmyn and Iris 52, Madelief 45 and the baby, Karien, born when her mother was 50, is almost 30. Her mother died when she was five, and the sisters raised her. She is beautiful with a well-paying job but stays put to protect her sisters from Rosa. She has a rebellious streak and is the only one who stands up to the monster. At 30, each daughter receives her inheritance, but Rosa forces them to give her half of it, for maintenance, medical care and so on. She also forces them to hand over half of their salaries.

Enter detective Adriaan 

Then one night Rosa is shot dead in the living room. Her sisters hear the shot and go down where they find her body. Everyone except Karien is completely devastated. Enter from the left: detective Adriaan Kruger, tall, handsome and a righteous man. From the outset he is reluctantly attracted to Karien, who is the main suspect.

The murder scene makes little sense. The window is broken, but it looks like it was done from the inside. One valuable painting is gone, and the TV set. There is no murder weapon. The continuity makes no sense to Adriaan. The sisters say they were at the scene within moments. How could the murderer get away with a heavy TV set and a painting, and cover all his or her tracks in such a short time?

Adriaan interviews the devastated sisters and learns disturbing details about the conflict situation that was their life. You have to read it for yourself. It was originally written under the pseudonym Alex Kruger and has now been republished.

Die vyf susters by Eleanor Baker is published by Human & Rousseau and costs R243 at Graffiti.

I am Tshiamo held my attention from start to finish. Tshiamo Modisane was born Kgositiele (king), the firstborn son. He'd always known he wasn't gay, but rather a heterosexual woman in a man's body. He was beautiful, with soft skin, a big mouth, hips and bum. His childhood was hell, especially under his pastor father who did not tolerate his effeminate ways. At school he was bullied and molested in the boys' toilets. Fortunately, his grandmother was there, always by his side and as a mother to laugh with.

Kgosi is drawn to glamour, elegance and style from an early age. He works as a stylist and commands admiration in the fashion magazine industry. Gradually, a transformation takes place into Tshiamo, a beautiful woman. The process is expensive and painful and many friendships are lost along the way. Today, however, Tshiamo does not want to be a poster girl for transgender people. She is what she was always meant to be: a woman. She has always been more feminine than I could ever be.

Deeply religious

Tshiamo is deeply religious and believes it was God's will for her to walk this path so that she could show the way to others. When her blood was tested before she received hormone treatment, they found she had more estrogen than testosterone. Her voice never broke and she had no facial hair. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Trump and all you schoolyard bullies.

Having had to fight for everything she wanted since childhood, Tshiamo is a survivor, a dynamic person who has achieved success in many areas. She has starred in soap operas and TV series, among others, and is a household name among the majority of our compatriots.

It's a valuable book with pointers on what not to say to someone who has transformed themselves, such as: You're so beautiful, you'd never guess it. Or: You look better than most women, or: If I didn't know, I'd think you were born that way, or the terms “real men" and “real women".

I am Tshiamo by Tshiamo Modisane is published by Penguin and costs R270 at Graffiti.

Look, lesbian love stories are few and far between. This one from Kate Fagan packs a punch and is about the dynamics between people: A disproportionate but fabulous friendship between a straight girl and a gay girl – Annie and Amanda read each other's minds and complete each other's sentences. They are like a comedy routine. Then a tragic accident happens and Annie leaves their hometown under the impression that her soulmate is dead.

Well, America is so big that one can easily disappear, it seems. Annie changes her name and identity and writes a novel about her and Amanda's friendship, under the name Cate Kay. It becomes a bestseller and no one on earth knows who the author is. Until Amanda, now in a wheelchair, reads the book and recognises herself. She writes a letter to Annie, but it is never delivered.

Meanwhile, Annie, now known as Cass, finds love with a beautiful movie star who plays the lead role in the adaptation of her book. Once again, misunderstandings occur and Annie disappears without a trace for a second time. You'll have to read for yourself how it all unfolds. It fascinated me, although one has to suspend one's disbelief here and there.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan is published by Bloomsbury Publishing and costs R519 at Amazon SA.

Finally, another domestic noir, full of police procedure and forensic evidence. The Hill is a sought-after neighbourhood for the super-rich in Cheshire. Allie and her second husband live just one street below The Hill, but she is a social climber who desperately wants to be part of the elite and insinuates herself everywhere. Her ex-husband, Leo, is a detective, as is his girlfriend, Ffion Morgan – apparently a character who has already made several appearances in Clare Mackintosh's novels. Leo investigates a series of burglaries in the wealthy neighbourhood – it seems as if the burglar is looking for something specific.

Then the body of an estate agent is discovered across the border in Wales, in a kayak on the river. Ffion investigates this case. Of course, the two cases converge like crossroads. It's clever and funny. I recommend it.

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh is published by Sphere and costs R637 at Amazon SA.

♦ VWB ♦

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