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Ebook260 pages3 hours
After Tears (new edition)
By Niq Mhlongo
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
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About this ebook
"That was it. I had had enough of Cape Town. The cold Atlantic Ocean, the white sand beaches, Table Mountain, the Waterfront . . . I decided right there, in front of the notice board, to go and pack my belongings and leave for good. The compass in my mind was pointing north, back to Johannesburg, my landlocked city, and Soweto. I was sure that if I stayed in Cape Town for one more day I would go mad. The four years that I had spent there, shuttling between the university lecture theatres and libraries, had come to nil. My fate had been decided. I wasn’t fit to become an advocate the following year. I was a failure." Bafana Kuzwayo has flunked his law studies at UCT. Now, back at home in Chi, Soweto, he has to pluck up the courage to confess the truth to his proud mother and uncle. But maybe, just maybe, it might be easier to let everyone believe that he is a qualified attorney. Especially as everyone in Chi is already calling him Advo ...
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Author
Niq Mhlongo
Niq Mhlongo was born in Soweto. He has a BA from Wits University, majoring in African Literature and Political Studies. He published three novels, Dog Eat Dog, After Tears and Way Back Home, and two short story collections, Affluenza and Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree. The Spanish translation of Dog Eat Dog won the Mar de Letras prize.
Read more from Niq Mhlongo
Black Tax: Burden or Ubuntu? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor You, I'd Steal a Goat Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAffluenza Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After Tears Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dog Eat Dog: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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Reviews for After Tears (new edition)
Rating: 2.3333333333333335 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
9 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This is a fast read, but there's not all that much to it. The characters tend to be either unthinking or one dimensional, and the writing is a bit amateurish as well. I would say it's an easy read to escape with for an afternoon, but one aspect ruined even the entertainment value for me---bits of African are scattered throughout the text, and while there is a glossary at the end of the book, it only includes certain words. I don't know the rhyme or the reason to it, but when I did care enough to look up the word, it was a word that was never included in the glossary. In the end, this isn't a big deal, but it did become something of a frustration as I was reading. Of course, this annoyance may just be a symptom of how little I was engaged with the book as a whole. In general, it was something to pass the time with, but it's certainly nothing I would really see any need to recommend.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A story about Bafana, a college kid from Soweto, who fails out of the University of Cape Town's law school, and is forced to move back with his uncle in Chi, Soweto. Embarrassed and ashamed of his failure, Bafana doesn't tell his family and his friends the truth, but tells them UCT is withholding his school records until he can pay a fictitious debt of over 20 000 Rand. This lie sets off humorous events where Bafana has to continue to lie to the people around him to protect himself. The story culminates with all the lies coming back to haunt him in the end.Although their is some humorous moments, the story is rather scattered, with the author spending time discussing certain topics and incidents for a few pages, only for them to never come back into the discussion. For example, there is a portion of the book where one of Bafana's uncle's best friend is arrested for a bar fight. Bafana has to defend him in court. He quickly gets the man out of jail on bail. Celebrations ensue in the Chi, because of the victory... What victory? His is only out on jail on bail. Their was another court date set. One could assume the issue wasn't resolved, yet in the story, it is never discussed again.Further, As I read this story, I felt that the book didn't really have a fully developed plot. Yes, Bafana is kicked out of school; yes he has to move in with his Uncle. Yes, his mother is trying to sell the Uncle's house so they can make money to pay his non-existent school fees., and eventually, about half way through the book, the house is sold. Bafana takes the money and opens his own law office with a fake degree certificate he purchased from a Nigerian. Soon, he becomes a popular, though not-affluent, lawyer in the township. He's happy; His mom is happy; everyone seems to be happy. Problem solved with about 80 pages left. A bunch of different problems pop up in the last 80 pages (he sleeps with an in-law, nearly has a fraudulent marriage with a Zim, his uncle dies, he gets beat up for his wallet and clothes, etc), but non really connect to the next. Finally, the book abruptly ends, with him getting busted for all his errors with a couple pages left. His mom and the sister in law he is sleeping with storm into the court room where he is attempting to marry the Zim, and tells him she knows all about the lies. He then moves to Durban, and doesn't speak to them again. This all happens in the last two pages!! Overall, not a great effort.