Lying Perfectly Still

A compelling story of exploitation and cultural collision...

WOMEN'S PRIZE LONGLISTED AUTHOR OF 'STRANGE MUSIC'.

WINNER: SI LEEDS READER'S CHOICE AWARD 2022.

Following the shocking death of her father, Koliwe leaves her life in Oxford behind when she travels to AIDS-ravaged Eswatini to take a job as an aid worker. But the Southern Africa she encounters is a far cry from the stories her late artist father told.

As she becomes enmeshed with Thandi, a local girl hiding a disturbing past, Koliwe feels increasingly split between her English identity and her rediscovered African roots as Xolile.

When Thandi goes missing, Koliwe's search for the truth leads her deep into the mountains, where the harsh realities of wealth and poverty, tradition and modernity, clash.

A powerful exploration of cultural identity, family secrets, and hard truths.