Happiness is a Four-letter Word

By Cynthia Jele

Four friends’ lives seem to be crashing before them: Just as Nandi’s final wedding arrangements are put in place, her ex-fiancé, a man who bankrupted her heart and bank account, makes a re-appearance. Zaza, the “trophy wife”, waits for the day that her affair comes to light and her husband gives her a one-way ticket back to the township. On the other hand, all Tumi needs to fulfil her perfect life is a child of her own. Then a stranger shows up claiming to be pregnant with her husband’s child. Tumi’s trust and beliefs in her marriage are put to the test. For Princess, growing up in an abusive home has taught her to never let men take her for a ride. Until this feisty feminist meets Theo, a Zimbabwean painter, who seems to touch all the right buttons. Then Princess discovers she’s pregnant and Theo goes AWOL, with half her belongings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kwela
• Release date: Dec 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9780795703546

Cynthia Jele

Cynthia Jele is a South African-born writer. She grew up near a small border town in Mpumalanga. In 2008 Jele won both first and fourth prize in the BTA/Anglo-Platinum Short Story Competition. She studied in South Africa and the US, and lives a quiet life in the northern suburbs of Joburg. Happiness is a Four-Letter Word is Jele’s debut novel.