Macmillan Collector's Library
Soul Sisters, by Lesley Lokko
Soul Sisters, by Lesley Lokko
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Soul Sisters by Lesley Lokko is a rich, intergenerational tale of love, race, power and secrets which centres on the lifelong friendship between two women: Scottish Jen McFadden and South African-born uKwemisa Mashabane, known to her friends as Kemi.
Since childhood, Jen and Kemi have lived like sisters in the McFadden family home in Edinburgh, brought together by a shared family history which stretches back generations. Kemi was educated in Britain alongside Jen and the girls could not be closer; nor could they be more different in the paths they take in life. But the ties that bind them are strong and complicated, and a dark family secret exists in their joint history. Solam Matsunyane is from South Africa's black political elite. Handsome, charismatic, charming, and a successful young banker, he meets both Kemi and Jen on a trip to London and sweeps them off their feet. Partly influenced by her interest in Solam, and partly on a journey of self-discovery, Kemi, now 31, decides to return to the country of her birth for the first time. Jen, seeking an escape from her father's overbearing presence, decides to go with her. In Johannesburg, it becomes clear that Solam is looking for the perfect wife to facilitate his soaring political ambitions. But who will he choose? All the while, the real story behind the two families' connection threatens to reveal itself - with devastating consequences . . .
Publisher: | Pan Macmillan |
Published date: | 2021-07 |
Page count: | 432 |
Dimensions: | Height:24.20 cm Thickness:4.20 cm Weight:235g |
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The characters' growth and their close sisterly friendship, the parallel locations of Scotland and South Africa, and the glimpse into life as an exile in another nation were all things I liked about this novel. But what annoyed me was the incomplete development of so many scenes and characters; the first chapter introduces characters and a child that has no bearing on the rest of the story; coltan mining is implied but never explained despite it being presumably the source of the power; devastating events occur but repeatedly consequences are avoided by skipping ahead to "three years later"; and several times characters seem to have personality shifts. This book was simple to read.

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