Blessing Ticha Karubwa
WITCHCRAFT, forbidden desire, sisterhood and betrayal! Award-winning South Africa-based Zimbabwean author Dr Yvonne Maphosa is turning up the heat with her latest novel, My Sister’s Lover, a gripping tale of love, obsession and the dangerous lengths people will go to keep a partner.
Set in Mambale, a small village in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South, where Maphosa grew up, the standalone novel explores forbidden relationships and the dark side of the age-old obsession with keeping a man.
In an interview, Maphosa said the story was inspired by her desire to expose the struggles of women who dare to dream beyond the limits imposed by deeply patriarchal communities.
“I wanted to write a story set in Mambale, a small village in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South, where I grew up. I wanted to explore what it means for a woman to be a rebel and a big dreamer in a community where patriarchy runs deep. I also wanted to highlight the role of tradition in shaping people’s choices,” she said.
Readers familiar with Maphosa’s work know she does not shy away from messy relationships and infidelity. But this time, she has added a chilling twist, bringing witchcraft and a traditional healer into the mix.
“In My Sister’s Lover, I explored witchcraft and the age-old idea of ‘keeping a man’. A traditional healer plays a major role in this story. My readers can still expect love and all its complications, but this time, it gets dark. I wanted to shine a light on how far some people are willing to go for love,” she said.
And while the plot may raise uncomfortable questions about love, loyalty and morality, Maphosa says she is not writing to preach to readers.
“I write to entertain, not to teach, because half the time, my readers probably shouldn’t do the things I glorify in my fictional world. With My Sister’s Lover, I hope readers experience a range of emotions as they move through the story. I want them to connect to the story and feel like a part of it. I want them to have a favourite character and a character they absolutely cannot stand,” she said.
Her latest offering builds on a growing catalogue of books that tackle complicated relationships and difficult social realities.
Her popular series, The Y in Your Man Is Silent, explores infidelity from the perspective of the other woman, while Grasping at Straws examines patriarchy and ancestral beliefs. Heart in Two blends relationship drama with themes of gang life and trauma.
For Maphosa, the release of My Sister’s Lover through a traditional publisher marks another major step in a writing journey that began with self-publishing.
Having independently published her first six books, she said the support she has received from her publisher and readers around the world has been overwhelming.
“The support I have received from my publisher and readers around the world has been mind-blowing. To think that I started out writing on Facebook and have gone on to win literary awards is something I do not take for granted,” she said.
Her literary achievements include the Outstanding Author Award at the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards and Outstanding Literary Work at the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards. Beyond writing, Maphosa is helping nurture the next generation of storytellers through initiatives such as the Luvone Writing Competition and writing masterclasses.
Readers in South Africa will get an opportunity to meet the author at two launch events. The first was scheduled for Thursday, 22 October, at 6pm at Exclusive Books, Rosebank Mall, in Johannesburg. The second will be held on Saturday, 31 October, at 3pm at Exclusive Books, Cresta Mall.
My Sister’s Lover is available through major South African bookstores, Takealot, Amazon and the author’s website: https://mysisterslover.netlify.app/. More book launches and signing sessions are planned in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Readers can follow Dr Yvonne Maphosa on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook for updates. – Follow @TeamKarubwa on X for more updates.
