Chanda Kabelo watches her community in Botswana crumble under the weight of a disease no one will name. Her baby sister Gloria grows sicker each day, but the family pretends it's just malaria. When her mother becomes ill too, Chanda must navigate the shame and secrecy that surrounds AIDS in her village. She faces whispered accusations and social isolation while trying to care for her younger siblings. The local clinic offers little help, and traditional healers promise false hope. Chanda's friends drift away as fear spreads through the township. She discovers that protecting the people she loves means confronting truths that could destroy her family's reputation. As death stalks her neighborhood, Chanda learns that silence can be deadlier than the virus itself. Her struggle becomes a battle between love and stigma, between speaking out and staying safe.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, african-literature, contemporary, social-issues, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, social-issues
Setting: Botswana
Paperback · Van Goor
Content warnings: death