The Veil of Maya, Chantal Stewart

Lena Brown, a geneticist who spends her days in Cape Town comfortably engrossed in laboratory work, receives a call to investigate an outbreak of madness amongst a group of men in a small town in rural Swaziland. She is excited to revisit the place of her childhood holidays. However, she does not realise how this journey will change her, challenging her beliefs and her perceptions of the world.

The novel is both a medical mystery and a love story. Just before leaving Cape Town Lena meets the charismatic astronomer, Gabriel Powell, and finds herself attracted to the mystery which she senses within him. Circumstances intervene which force her to confront issues of trust and deception, secrets and loss.

The Veil of Maya slips between the worlds of Cape Town, Sutherland, Swaziland and England. At its core it is a powerful story of love and life.