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If You Want to Make God Laugh

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If You Want to Make God Laugh

By: Bianca Marais
Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Katharine Lee McEwan, Bahni Turpin
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About this listen

 From the author of the beloved Hum If You Don't Know the Words comes a rich, unforgettable story of three unique women in post-Apartheid South Africa who are brought together in their darkest time and discover the ways that love can transcend the strictest of boundaries.

In a squatter camp on the outskirts of Johannesburg, seventeen-year-old Zodwa lives in desperate poverty, under the shadowy threat of a civil war and a growing AIDS epidemic. Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life.

Across the country, wealthy socialite Ruth appears to have everything her heart desires, but it's what she can't have that leads to her breakdown. Meanwhile, in Zaire, a disgraced former nun, Delilah, grapples with a past that refuses to stay buried. When these personal crises send both middle-aged women back to their rural hometown to heal, the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby upends everything, challenging their lifelong beliefs about race, motherhood, and the power of the past.

As the mystery surrounding the infant grows, the complicated lives of Zodwa, Ruth, and Delilah become inextricably linked. What follows is a mesmerizing look at family and identity that asks: How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves? Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Africa Heartfelt South African Fiction
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Most relevant
Maraud has created characters I came to care for deeply. The book is set in the mid 90s. I was a teenager in Australia then and from what I remember of the world at the time, she has stayed faithful to the reality of what may have become of the people in the story rather than giving them all the happily ever after I desperately wanted for them.

Exceptional

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Loved the story line, clever and moving. Should have used South African narrators. While some of the accents weren’t bad, others detracted from the enjoyment and many local words were mispronounced.

Great story, pity about the accents

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.