Fabrics of Love

Based in the dawn of the 2000s in South Africa, Lebo Mazibuko’s Fabrics of Love tells the interwoven stories of the Ntoi family, creating a tapestry of social joys and ills experienced in township life. South African readers in particular are likely to find themselves reflected in each character’s backbreaking search for acceptance in an environment still making sense of itself. It reminds us of the ordeals passed down through generations, unseen, but strikingly felt. The novel is a courageous tracing of the ‘fabrics’ that weave many households together: love, heartbreak, fear and insecure optimism. At times, Fabrics of Love is uncomfortable for its truth-telling; other times, it is a soothing balm.