Cape fever : a novel / Nadia Davids.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davids, Nadia, 1977-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women household employees--Fiction.

Women household employees.

Spirits--Fiction.

Spirits.

Letter writing--Fiction.

Letter writing.

Social classes--Fiction.

Social classes.

South Africa--History--1909-1961--Fiction.

South Africa.

Muslim women--Fiction.

Muslim women.

Historical fiction, South African (English).

Psychological fiction, South African (English).

Suspense fiction, South African (English).

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Gothic fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Magic realist fiction.

Thrillers (Fiction)

Physical Description:

228 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 2025.

Summary:

"The year is 1920, in a small, unnamed city in a colonial empire. Soraya Matas believes she has found the ideal job as a personal maid to the eccentric Mrs. Hattingh, whose beautiful, decaying home is not far from The Muslim Quarter where Soraya lives with her parents. As Soraya settles into her new role, she discovers that the house is alive with spirits. While Mrs. Hattingh eagerly awaits her son's visit from London, she offers to help Soraya stay in touch with her fiancé Nour by writing him letters on her behalf. So begins a strange weekly meeting where Soraya dictates and Mrs. Hattingh writes--a ritual that binds the two women to one another and eventually threatens the sanity of both. Cape Fever is a masterful blend of gothic themes, folk-tales, and psychological suspense, reminiscent of works by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Daphne du Maurier, and Soraya Matas is an unforgettable narrator, whose story of love and grief, is also a chilling exploration of class and the long reach of history"-- Provided by publisher.

Set in 1920 within a colonial city, this novel follows a young woman who becomes a personal maid to an eccentric widow. As she settles into her new role, she discovers that the household holds secrets and supernatural presences that blur the line between reality and imagination. A ritual of dictating letters to her employer strengthens the bond between the two women but also introduces psychological tension. Combining elements of gothic fiction, folklore, and historical context, the novel explores themes of love, grief, class, and the legacies of colonialism.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Miller Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781668090732

1668090732

OCLC:

1492480102