Karen Jennings – författare

On the 1st December 1838,all slaves were finally freed on South Africa, four years after slavery hadofficially been abolished.First of December followsthree people during the week of November 1838: James and Caroline Kendrick, andan unnamed runaway slave making her way to Cape Town along the coast, desperateto reach it by midnight on the 31st November.Caroline is trapped in anunhappy marriage, in a place she hates, always longing to go home; bored,lonely, without purpose or any sense of belonging. James is forever on themove, desperate for success after a lifetime of failure and humiliation, seeingSouth Africa as his last great hope, preparing for the climax of his work, abank to serve the city. Each resents the other, feeling trapped and unloved,yet with a wish for it all to change. Meanwhile the slave-apprentice, fearfulof being caught before the deadline, meets others living on the coast, at theedge of society, yet always remaining alone, without any clear idea of what toexpect in Cape Town.

Sheikh Ra’id Ossamah Abdul Hasib has a charmed life. He comes from a loving family, he is the ruler of his country and is massively wealthy; but something is missing from his life-until the day he saw a beautiful pair of legs coming out of a construction van. Amanda Pearson had to work her way through college and graduated at the top of her engineering class. She put together a small crew of fellow students and opened her own construction company. They struggled for a few years until she saw an opportunity to bid on a job in the Middle East.Amanda isn’t looking for a man and is working to build her business, and then she meets Ra’id. Something about the man made her look twice, and that is all they needed. Love is in the air, but so is obsession.Sabeera grew up with Ra’id and is determined to have him in her life. Nothing is going to stop her from having the man that she loves, and she is willing to play a dangerous game to get him.

This second story evolved after the first book was completed. Annie and Katie's family just couldn't end with one generation similar to my own loud loving family. When strong bonds are required both families join together to face all that life gives us. We love, we laugh, and we forgive.

Deidre is a victim, of her family, her society, her history. That is how she sees herself, and so she feels free of all obligations, moral and practical. Until the police take her back to her family home...In a Cape Town where water is rationed and has to be collected from trucks each day, with the consequences of apartheid and the ending of it still evident, Deidre lives from day to day in squalor - largely created by herself - borrowing, persuading, cadging her way from the water trucks to the bar, testing the tolerance and pity of everyone she knows. Then she is contacted by the police, and taken by a respectful constable to the house where she grew up and where she lost her leg in a shattering explosion while still young. Faced with what is found there, she has to accept the truth of her past, and of her older brother, her parents' golden boy. Then she must confront herself and her responsibility, and what it truly is to be a victim.

Deidre is a victim, of herfamily, her society, her history. That is how she seesherself, and so she feels free of all obligations, moral and practical. Untilthe police take her back to her family home...In a Cape Town where wateris rationed and has to be collected from trucks each day, with the consequencesof apartheid and the ending of it still evident, Deidre lives from day to dayin squalor - largely created by herself- borrowing, persuading, cadging her way from the water trucks to the bar, testing the tolerance and pity of everyoneshe knows. Then she is contacted by the police, and taken by a respectfulconstable to the house where she grew up and where she lost her leg in ashattering explosion while still young. Faced with what is found there, she hasto accept the truth of her past, and of her older brother, her parents' goldenboy. Then she must confront herself and her responsibility, and what it trulyis to be a victim.

Annie and Katie met in college, and started working in their respective fields of endeavor. They met two men who would change not only their lives, but they would all learn the importance of communication. Annie and Katie came very close to losing not only their true loves, but their lives.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE'An Island concerns itself with lives lived on the margins, through the story of a man who has exiledhimself from the known world only to find himself called to the service of others, themselves exiledfrom the world by cruelty and circumstance. It is on these grounds that this writer deftly constructsa moving, transfixing novel of loss, political upheaval, history, identity, all rendered in majestic andextraordinary prose.' Booker Prize Judges panel."A gripping, terrifying and unforgettable story." Elleke BoehmerSamuel has lived alone for a long time; one morning he finds the sea has brought someone to offer companionship and to threaten his solitude...A young refugee washes up unconscious on the beach of a small island inhabited by no one but Samuel, an old lighthouse keeper. Unsettled, Samuel is soon swept up in memories of his former life on the mainland: a life that saw his country suffer under colonisers, then fight for independence, only to fall under the rule of a cruel dictator; and he recalls his own part in its history. In this new man's presence he begins to consider, as he did in his youth, what is meant by land and to whom it should belong. To what lengths will a person go in order to ensure that what is theirs will not be taken from them?A novel about guilt and fear, friendship and rejection; about the meaning of home.

An undocumented immigrant returns home after enduring the harsh realities of the American Dream, only to be met with tragedy. A child wrestles with the fate of a beloved one-eyed chicken, cherished as a pet but destined for the cooking pot. In another town, families live in fear of Shadow Fever, a mysterious force that keeps them indoors after dark or risks an endless sleep.Moving between the intimate and the uncanny, this vibrant anthology spans family life, desire and betrayal, alongside noir, satire and the fantastical. These witty, provocative and deeply humane stories explore feminism, patriarchy, class and exploitation, offering sharp, unflinching portraits of contemporary life.Rich in voice and imagination, this is a bold and compelling collection that showcases the breadth and vitality of African storytelling.