The Kopano Matlwa Collection

The Kopano Matlwa Collection draws together, in one edition, three novels published between 2007 and 2016: Coconut, Spilt Milk and Period Pain. This arc of time conveys the development and struggles of a young post-apartheid South Africa. Reading all three books, in close succession, makes clear the ways in which they all explore the lasting legacies of white supremacy in relation to personal identities, relationships, institutional structures and the replication of separation, oppression and violence. Coconut has all of the hallmarks of a first novel; particularly the energy of a creative endeavour that just needed to find expression in the world. The second, more allegorical book, Spilt Milk, felt a bit contrived to me – while I understood intellectually what the author was doing with the story, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. And Period Pain felt like a combination of the other two books: still allegorical and clever, but with a raw honesty and character depth that made it compelling.