Rating:   ****

Genre: Fiction:  Literary

Sinazo and her sister Nonhlanhla are children of the village, brought up with traditional values and in the harsh natural environment that their ancestors called home. When they witness serial killer Tomas Ndaki murder a woman in the hills near their village, their lives take different directions. Nonhlanhla grows into a strong young woman, winning a sports scholarship to study a degree in Social Work, and Sinazo, haunted by her childhood experiences, sets off to Alexandra Township to seek her fortune as a hostess in a glitzy restaurant in Sandton.

Sinazo thinks her fortunes have changed for the better, when she begins a relationship with wealthy, but married, businessman, who sets her up in a swanky apartment. Things soon turn ugly when she reveals that she is pregnant with his child. The situation is complicated when her lover, contracts the services of Tomas, who has recently escaped from prison. Nonhlanhla senses that something is wrong, and with the help of the University team, who are researching women’s issues and domestic violence, sets out to save her sister.

Key’s novel is a powerful and thought-provoking examination of the real threat of domestic and general violence towards women in South Africa today. Her characters are believable, endearing, and the situations they find themselves in are all too real. Your heart breaks for every “Sinazo” out there with no one to save them. A wonderful and moving read.