BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

262pp., paperback, Cape Town, 2019

A historical novel set in Botswana, about a young girl forced to flee with her mother when her father is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death. Offered shelter in Mtsweng in the kingdom of Kgosi Sechele, where traditional beliefs and Christianity often clash, years later, her lover is accused of witchcraft.

"But Deliver Us from Evil recreates the world of rural Botswana in 1871 in its first few pages, with loving attention to the joys and cares of everyday life - childhood, cattle, medicine, leopards, beer. Then it becomes more serious and moving, especially in its study of young women with 'hearts that are made got freedom' enmeshed in the struggle of the Koranna, the Boers, and the Griqua. Kubuitsile's handling of the material is deft and the pace of her story is rapid. The novel should be a significant success." Imraan Coovadia, author of Tales of the Metric System and A Spy in Time

"This is a story of love, hatred, kindness, and cruelty, set in the pre-colonial era of the 19th century. It presents a clear picture of the village communities and their histories in the southern part of Africa - modern-day Botswana and South Africa. The Batswana, the San, the Koranna, the Griqua traditional way of life is reflected in dresses, songs, dances, beliefs, and secrets. The people generate their livelihoods through a mixture of crops, livestock, and the collection of a range of natural resources. The main threats to this peaceful life are Christianity, constant Boer annexations, and their own witchcraft beliefs." Niq Mhlongo, author of Dog Eat Dog, Affluenza and Soweto, Under The Apricot Tree.

Lauri Kubuitsile is the author of the novel, The Scattering, and the short-story collection In the Spirit of McPhineas Lata and Other Stories. She was the 2007 winner of the BTA/Anglo Platinum Short Story Competition and the recipient of the Botswana Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Orange Botswerere Award for Creative Writing. She has twice won the Golden Baobab Prize for children’s writing and was shortlisted for the 2011 Caine Prize. She lives in Botswana.