What does it mean to live in a place that is as beautiful as it is haunted?On this episode of TGE’s Current Read, powerhouse South African creative Nadia Davids – an award-winning playwright and author – chats with host Sam Herbst about her new novel Cape Fever. A haunting and atmospheric read, Cape Fever is a striking work of gothic historical fiction praised by JM Coetzee as “an invaluable body of work”.From her life between Cape Town and Los Angeles, Nadia reflects on home, distance, and the enduring pull of South Africa, all before the conversation jumps into the rich, layered world of the novel.Set in 1920s Cape Town, Cape Fever explores themes of colonial power, womanhood, faith, memory, and identity through the eyes of Soraya, a young Cape Malay woman navigating the complexities of servitude, secrecy, and selfhood.In this discussion we unpack:• Cape Fever’s exploration of colonialism, race, and power in pre-Apartheid South Africa• Soraya’s “necessary fiction” and the quiet resistance embedded in her voice• The complex, unsettling dynamic between the protagonist and her employer, Mrs Hattingh• Gothic elements, spiritual liminality, the presence of ghosts, and feminine rage• The influence of Nadia’s family history, particularly her grandmothers, on the novel• Cape Town as both a seductive and deeply haunted landscape• The interplay between oral and written storytelling, with questions about agency and authorshipThis episode also touches on Nadia’s work as a playwright and how it shapes her fiction. And would it be an episode of Current Read if we didn’t ask what’s next in this author’s writing journey?Tune in and find out!If you’re drawn to literary fiction that interrogates history, identity, and the stories we inherit, this conversation is not to be missed.__#CapeFever #NadiaDavids #TGECurrentRead #PodcastInterview #LiteraryFiction #GothicFiction #SouthAfricanLiterature #BookTube #AuthorInterview #HistoricalFiction #WomenWhoWrite #PostcolonialLiterature #ReadersOfYouTube
