Life wasn't always hard for fourteen-year-old Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother's lawyer boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and the terrible thing that stole Mvelo's song remains unspoken, despite its growing presence in their shack. But a series of choices, chance meetings, and Shakespearean comedy-style exposures of hidden identities hands Mvelo a golden opportunity to overcome hardship.
We Kiss Them With Rain explores both humor and tragedy in this modern-day fairytale set in a squatter camp outside Durban, South Africa, in which the things that seem to be are only a facade, and the things that are revealed and unveiled create a happier, thoroughly believable, alternative.
We walk amongst the living
We, the departed . . .
We wander the earth
Wondering about the orphans we left behind
We kiss them with rain . . .
Futhi Ntshingila grew up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Now she lives and works in Pretoria. She is a former journalist and holds a Master's degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. She loves telling stories about the marginalized corners of society, including women and children in South Africa and particularly those who live in the squatter camps. In her two novels published in South Africa, she features strong women who empower themselves despite circumstances that seek to disempower them. We Kiss Them With Rain is her debut into the North American market.
Industry Reviews
Futhi Ntshingila weaves a beautiful narrative full of three-dimensional characters. She brings them, as well as the South African culture and landscape, to life vividly and entertains us as well as informs. It is a much-needed look at the AIDS crisis and a continent and country that has been hit so hard. In doing so, however, it still provides us with much hope for the future. --A&U Magazine
Ntshingila takes what could be mere tearjerking manipulation and turns Mvelo's path into something at once dramatic and prosaic. In other words, a 14-year-old pregnant by rape, orphaned by AIDS, and uncertain of her future sounds and feels like a full human instead of a line in a news story. Highly recommend. -- Bethanne Patrick, Lit Hub
One of Seven new and noteworthy fiction titles about South Africa (The Globe and Mail)
Reading the story of Mvelo, a 14-year-old girl whose life is impacted by many twists of fate, hardship, love, and an incredible community of supporters--and whose tragic journey resolves in the most wonderful of ways--brings back a history of a still raging epidemic that has seemed to disappear from the media's attention in this country. -Lucy Kogler, Lit Hub,
"Full of heart and hope despite the emotionally challenging subject matter [...] A haunting, all-too-true story with plenty of compelling depth." Booklist Reviews
"Those who appreciate realistic fiction will enjoy this novel in which young female characters learn to love themselves, no matter the circumstances." School Library Journal
