Durban, South Africa:
29° 53' S
31° 3' E

The Book of Happenstance
By Ingrid Winterbach
Translated by Dirk Winterbach

Cape Town lexicographer Helena Verbloem travels to Durban for a new job at the Museum of Natural History in this literary mystery. She and her boss, Theo Verway, are compiling a dictionary of archaic Afrikaans—documenting what they can of a dying language. When Helena's most cherished possession, a collection of conch shells, is stolen, the police disregard the minor theft. But as she investigates the crime herself, a character from her wild past reemerges, a prime suspect is found hanged, and her relationship with her married employer deepens. Goodreads member Thejoshua says, "The book offers an interesting look at the issues of love, obsession, death, and a search for meaning in life...both fun and intensely thought provoking." View book »

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