Crooked Seeds

February 5, 2024
A white South African family’s ties to 1990s pro-apartheid terrorism resurface in the bleak and provocative latest from Jennings (An Island). Deirdre, 53, lost her leg as a teen when her brother, who later died from a drug overdose, accidentally set off a bomb while preparing for a plot to discourage Black citizens from voting in the 1994 general election. She lives now in a senior living facility, her family’s house having been repossessed by the government. Determined to be seen as a victim and a “cripple,” she drinks heavily, cadges cigarettes from staffers, asks constant favors of the young Black mother across the hall, calls her adopted Black daughter in London seeking money, and ignores her own mother, who lives across the street. When the police approach her with recently found evidence of human remains buried on the grounds of their former home, she spirals deeper into despair and alienates everyone around her. The mystery of whose remains may have been found is only partially solved, and the novel’s open-ended conclusion leaves readers with much to ponder about South Africa’s painful history and the stories Deirdre has told herself to survive. There are no easy answers in Jennings’s knotty narrative. Agent: Anna Stein, CAA.

May 31, 2024

Deirdre van Deventer has been living in a squalid Cape Town slum since her family's home was reclaimed as part of South Africa's effort to return land that was taken from Black people under apartheid. When demolition begins on her former residence, authorities discover the decaying bodies of three infants, leaving Deirdre with just as many questions as they have. She always knew that her estranged brother was dangerous, tinkering in his shed all day and building bombs, one of which took her leg. But was he a murderer? With a mother who will stop at nothing to defend their dysfunctional family, Deirdre is unsure if she'll ever learn the truth. Booker Prize-longlisted Jennings (An Island) crafts compelling, complex literary fiction full of secrets, suspense, and unanswered questions. Dual timelines and perspectives enhance the sense of unease and uncertainty in this bleak but moving story. Narrator Fiona Ramsay gives an intensely emotive performance that evokes loneliness and despair, creating an ominous, atmospheric listening experience. VERDICT Will appeal to listeners seeking an intricate, open-ended novel about collective guilt with unsettling political and psychological implications. Recommended for fans of Tara Conklin, Derek Owusu, and Cristina Bendek.--Lauren Hackert

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