The Blessed Girl
Angela Makholwa
Pan Macmillan
Review: Tamara Mafilika
From the moment I read an excerpt from this book, I knew it was an important read for me to dig into.
Yes, it’s fiction but it tells a story that I’ve always been intrigued by – the story of young, sassy and ambitious black South African women who engage in transactional relationships with older, rich men.
Bontle is a girl from the townships, who moved to the city because she envisioned a better life for herself.
Our light-skinned, weave-flicking, Gucci-clad gal always has a plan.
Bontle has a great arsenal of women by her side, including one of her somewhat clumsy business partners, Mama Sophia, who’s always putting pressure on her (for her own good).
Miss Tau (or should I say Mrs Khathide) married her high school sweetheart but family politics, class struggles and clashing ambitions got in the way.
Her husband Ntokozo is still a part of her life in a weird Bontle kind of way but so are her other sources of income. And by sources of income I mean Papa Jeff, Uncle Chino, Teddy Bear, Mr Emmanuel… and let me not give too much
away.
However, these multiple streams of income each come with their own set of dramas and hurdles.
Blessed Girl is witty, energetic and hard to put down.
