“Brutal, heartbreaking, and undoubtedly brilliant.”
Sanet Oberholzer, Sunday Times
It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way selected as one of the Brittle Paper / Mail & Guardian 50 Most Notable African Books of 2022.
It’s available as a paperback in all good bookstores across South Africa, and as an ebook anywhere in the world.
“Revolutionary. Vulnerable. Chilling in its relevance.”
Mia Arderne, author of Mermaid Fillet
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way (Kwela; 2022) tells the story of queer friends trying to survive an increasingly violent and unstable world.
Spanning from present-day Cape Town into a near future of climate chaos, It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way follows Luthando as he tries to avert ecological disaster; Viwe, his life partner, who becomes embroiled in the religious end-of-days fanaticism sweeping the city; and Malcolm, whose work in mental health software and virtual reality starts to take on a life of its own.
Described by a reader on Goodreads as “Margaret Atwood meets K. Sello Duiker”, It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way is a literary page-turner that will change how you see the world. Part cautionary tale, part love story, part tender story of friendship. A book about our capacity for love in the face of fear.
“An early frontrunner for the best local fiction debut of the year.”
Jonathan Amid, News 24
Find a paperback copy: from Exclusive Books, The Book Lounge, Wordsworth Books, Bargain Books, Graffiti Books, Takealot, Loot, and Raru – and it can be ordered from your local indie bookstore.
US & Canada readers: Paperbacks are available from Books Are Magic.
As an Ebook: Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Snapplify.
Check out the playlist for the book on Spotify, and follow It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way on Instagram.