Innie shadows

Coetzee's first full-length novel reflects her commitment to promoting Kaaps, a spoken-only language "never previously recognized as a legitimate language," which she believes must be retained and developed in written form as a vital part of the rich, violent, often painful history of South Africa. Her story is set in the fictional Shadow Heights, a run-down area of Cape Town rife with drugs, violence, crime, corruption, and the relentless persecution of LGBTQ+ and other "different" people in the name of religion. Despite the myriad problems, many inhabitants remain cheerful within their close-knit community. Five of those--Ley, Nique, Sara, Carl, and Gershwin--are fast friends who always support one another. When two of the friends are brutally murdered, those left behind are determined to find out what happened and expose the perpetrators. Coetzee's book is part murder mystery, part exploration of loyalty and friendship in the face of violence and oppression, and part social commentary on the persecution, often by organized religions, of those seen as being different. An often painful but nonetheless compelling and eye-opening read.