Ya’ll! When I say I couldn’t put this book down, I mean, I could not put it DOWN! This is all thriller, full speed ahead, with a dash of real-life history lessons and a big a** hefty pour of revenge!

Get this book now!!!

Ok ok, I’m calm...

The story follows a woman, Prudence, on a dual timeline between Now: a stay-at-home mother and wife in Washington D.C and Then: a law student in Johannesburg, South Africa, on an internship attending the Truth and Reconciliation court hearings in 1996. The hearings were intended to address violations against human rights during the time of Apartheid.

Prudence (now) bumps into someone from her deep, dark past that shakes up the world she’s fought and worked so hard to create for herself and her family, a world of high class, safety and copious amounts of money and comforts.

This book deals with a lot of sensitive topics, especially here in America. It goes to show how far governments are willing to go to keep the peace and cover up the truth, and how humans continue to perpetuate the harmful cycle of stereotypes, classism, racism, prejudice and more. Anyone is bound to learn something new, and I hope if this isn’t your typical read, that you will pick it up anyways.

If I were to annotate Casualties of Truth, the pages would be dripping in yellow highlighter. I mean, soaked!

An absolute treasure cove of words, wisdom, power, and strength.

Narrated in a dual timeline, the story moves between 1996 South Africa, and 2018 Washington DC. Prudence, leading a seemingly ‘normal’ life with her husband, comes face to face with Matshediso, a South African man seeking revenge for past wrongs. Travelling back in time to the sessions of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which Prudence attended as a law student, anchors the nightmare that begins unfolding in 2018 Washington DC.

This is a short read, and as compelling as a thriller (which it is, in some ways), but also a difficult one for the content. It ruminates on the meanings of ‘truth’, justice, history, and the inescapability of the echoes of a violent past.

Hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year!

A HUGE thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC! This is a book I will be buying as soon as I see it in a bookshop!