THE NICOTINE GOSPEL

200pp., illus., paperback, Umuzi, Cape Town, 2025

ISBN: 9781415211397

A darkly funny road trip novel.

Long estranged brothers Nate and Danny drive from Durban to Cape Town to attend their father's funeral. On the journey, they must face each other, the untimely death of their mother, and the damage done by their eccentric, neglectful father and his Nicotine Gospel: that you can tell everything you need to know about a person by the brand of cigarettes they smoke.

"Oblique and unnerving - Sven Axelrad is one of the most original writers to come along in years." Michele Magwood, former Sunday Times books editor

"Sven is a master of both words and emotions. His writing is simultaneously so tender and hard-hitting." Pippa Hudson, Cape Talk radio host

Accountant Sven Axelrad was born in New Zealand and lives in Durban. He is the author of the novels Buried Treasure and God's Pocket.