Another Woman's Daughter

by Fiona Sussman

U.S. EDITION.

Set against the tumultuous background of apartheid South Africa, a powerful and moving debut about family, sacrifice, and discovering what it means to belong…

Celia Mphephu knows her place in the world. A black servant working in the white suburbs of 1960s Johannesburg, she’s all too aware of her limitations. Nonetheless, she has found herself a comfortable corner: She has a job, can support her faraway family, and is raising her youngest child, Miriam.

But as racial tensions explode, Celia’s world shifts. Her employers decide to flee the political turmoil and move to England—and they ask to adopt Miriam and take her with them. Devastated at the prospect of losing her only daughter, yet unable to deny her child a safer and more promising future, Celia agrees, forever defining both their futures.

As Celia fights against the shattering violence of her time, Miriam battles the quiet racism of England, struggling to find her place in a land to which she doesn’t belong—until the call of her heritage inexorably draws her back to Africa to discover the truth behind her mother’s choices and uncover a heartbreaking secret from long ago…

READERS GUIDE INSIDE

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Africa, South Africa, Book Club, Historical, Adult

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Award-winning author Fiona Sussman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and immigrated to New Zealand over thirty years ago. A former family doctor, she hung up her stethoscope in 2003 to pursue another long-held dream, to write.

Published internationally, she is the author of four novels and numerous critically- acclaimed short stories.

Her novel 'The Last Time We Spoke' won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel 2017 and was shortlisted for the NZ Heritage Prize 2016. An early draft won the Kobo/NZ Society of Authors Publishing Prize.

'Addressed to Greta' launched Bateman Books’ fiction list and went on to win the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction 2021.

'The Doctor's Wife', her fourth novel (and first in the Bandara/Stark series), was released in October 2022. It was shortlisted for the NZBooklovers award for Best Adult Fiction 2023 and is a finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Fiction.

'Hooked Up', Fiona's fifth novel (and second in the Bandara/Stark series), was released in September 2025.

To find out more about Fiona, go to her website:
www.fionasussman.co.nz

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Mphephu is black. She works as a maid for Mr & Mrs Steiner. It's the early 1960s in Johannesburg, South Africa. Celia's six-year-old daugher Miriam happily follows her mother around the house as she works, unaware of the differences between them and the Master and Madam.

The young Nelson Mandela burns his passbook and young black men join the anti apartheid protests. The tension between white and black brings more violence and fear and the Steiners decide it is time to leave South Africa and make a life in England. When they approach Celia and offer to adopt young Miriam, take her to England and give her a better life and education than Celia could ever dream of, she knows that as much as she loves her little girl, she really doesn't have a choice. With no job, a husband who has deserted the family and three more children to support, she has to make this heart-breaking sacrifice and let her beloved daughter go.

Miriam is excited by the thought of a 'holiday' to England, with the promise of lots of books, a new school and plenty to eat. She is only six-years-old and doesn't realise that she will probably never see her mamma again. Cold, dark, wet Norfolk is a shock to Miriam. Thousands of miles away from the segregation of apartheid South Africa, she finds that English people can be just as intolerant about colour and race as those in her homeland. Lonely and miserable and pining for her family, she realises that life with the Steiners is not at all what she expected. It is only the love of her friend Zelda Patel, and Zelda's warm and welcoming family that make life in England bearable.

Miriam knows that one day she will return to South Africa, she will find out the truth of why her mamma gave her away.

I haven't read many novels set in South Africa. Of course I know about apartheid, about Nelson Mandela and the ANC. I remember the 'Free Nelson Mandela' campaign, and the day that he walked free from prison. I saw him become South Africa's first black leader. I knew of segregation and of the inequalities and horrific treatment of black people in their own land, but I didn't really understand.

Fiona Sussman is an extraordinarily gifted author. Shifting Colours is a novel that brings South Africa to life. The words are exquisite and beautifully woven and the depiction of a country divided by horror and brutality is masterful.

At its heart, this is the story of Celia and Miriam's relationship and how their love for each other is so strong that even the thousands of miles that separate them cannot alter it. The devastation felt by Celia when Miriam leaves for England is so powerful, and as Celia suffers time and time again it begins to become almost unbearable to read her sorrowful story.

"Parts of me simply fell away - the Celia I'd lived for so long - the maid, the char, the black, all dropping off me like ill-fitting clothes. I hesitated, then stepped into this madam's sweet-smelling house a woman.
These are Celia's words as she steps into the home of a white woman who treats her as an equal - for the first time in her life. These words are stunning and are just a tiny taste of the brilliance of the story.

Miriam's experience in quiet, leafy Norfolk is a sad testament to the racial prejudice of England in the 70s. She suffers at the hands of not just the school bullies, but her new mother too.

Shifting Colours is an extraordinary and powerful story of brutality and degradation, yet is it also a story of the pure and beautiful love between mother and daughter.

I was utterly transfixed by this novel, reading it in two sittings during a long train journey. Fiona Sussman is enormously talented. Shifting Colours is compelling and haunting. I can't recommend it highly enough - go read it now!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Fiona Sussman's first novel and it is wonderful. Celia is a black servant in apartheid South Africa working for a white couple from England. She has several children, however only the youngest (Miriam) is with her. When the white couple flees Africa, Celia allows them to adopt Miriam in order to give her, what Celia believes, will be a better life in England. This is the crux of the story but as the story evolves, Sussman touches on many areas such as racism in both England and South Africa, apartheid at its worst, coming of age, self esteem , and relationships. Excellent read.

I have been pondering this book since I rated it several hours ago and think perhaps that I rated it before really internalizing it. After careful consideration, I have dropped my rating from 4 to 3. All of the above statements hold true Sussman tells a pretty good tale, however, the personal relationships of Celia and Miriam and their choice of mates fall "way short" for me.

[Natalie Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the story, I found it very light for such a serious subject matter. It could`ve/should`ve gone a lot deeper in my opinion.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 review to follow.

[RoseMary Achey · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting twist at the end of this book that readers will not see coming was not enough to breath life into otherwise flat characters and a predictable novel. On the plus side, you will learn a bit about the horrors of apartheid and Another Woman's Daughter is a super quick read.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a moving vibrant story of a young woman growing up as an adopted African girl to a white European couple.

[Kiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A book with an interesting premise，it started out well however it ended up being a little predicated and cliched, especially the ending as that seemed a little rushed. However, I did enjoy the topic and it was well written, it just needed to be longer and expanded so you could fully immerse yourself in the story and allow your emotions to be fully developed.

[Lauren Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at apartheid in South Africa. Along with all the other injustices and violence, it was maddening to see the audacity of someone who could just "take" someone else's child as her own. Another layer attempts to show how the "daughter" adjusts to the dichotomy of being black and "privileged" in her new home in Britain and coming to terms with her memories and roots.

[RyanneAndHerBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book. It wasn't as harsh as a lot of books set in this time but it wasn't unrealistic either. A nice inbetween that showed the truth of adversity in South Africa in the 1960s while also telling a story of family hardships and the importance of knowing and experiencing your roots.

[Elizabeth Lunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was instantly engaged with the characters, and the beautiful imagery made them instantly relatable. A fantastic read :)

[Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

The language in this book was absolutely riveting. I was fascinated to read a book set in apartheid South Africa. This is very different from the stuff I suavely read, but in a good way. Celia is a black maid who works for a white couple in Johannesburg. She has three other sons who live far away with her mom, but her daughter (Miriam) lives with her. Celia is worried about her daughter because the violence is getting worse. So when Celia's employers offer to adopt Miriam and take her with them to England, she agrees because she feels her daughter will be better off. The book goes from Miriam's POV to Celia's and spans decades.

Miriam experiences a lot of racism and bullying in England, while Celia struggles so hard to make a life for herself, despite the fact that she is heartbroken at being separated from her daughter. I think the author did a great job of showing the racism that Celia experienced on a daily basis. It was also interesting to see the difference between Celia's life in South Africa and Miriam's life in England. Even though Miriam has a nice home and is treated a bit better (legally speaking), she still experiences daily bullying and taunts because of her race. Eventually, Miriam decides to go back to South Africa to try and find out who she is and to find her birth mother. The author did a great job telling the different story of these two women who are just trying to find their place in the world and trying to find their way back to each other. There was so much emotion there. One thing that I think the author held back little with is the violence and politics playing out in South Africa. We just kind of heard about some of the violence second hand, but then nothing would come of it. In that respect, I think the author could have delved a little further. Otherwise, this was a great and emotional story.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially expected a heart-wrenching, tragic story, brutal accounts of the apartheid system which may have been hard to take and instead I got a nice story totally lacking in substance. I actually thought it was a teen/ YA book. It was just too much of an easy read for the subject matter. The author could have taken the story so much further, dealt with the apartheid issue in more detail, given us more of an insight into the characters' thoughts and feelings. I just felt as if I was reading an unemotional account of one girl's search for her mother. An event would be brought up in a chapter, then left abandoned. I often found myself asking "but why?" WHY did so and so act like that, why does she feel like that?" The issue of apartheid didn't go into any real detail either. Just the usual familiar descriptions of "whites-only" benches, arrests, beatings, etc. There is an unexpected "twist" at the end but even here - one brief paragraph leaving me with questions unanswered. I had hoped for more to be honest.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out mildly interesting, became quite flat to the point of annoyance quite soon. The characters are just drafts, the storyline is predictable and the jumps in time only further the sense of alienation from the story and protagonists. Oh, now Miriam is suddenly 13, things happen, then she is 17, another thing happens, and all of a sudden she is in her mid-twenties and by then I'd lost all interest. I particularly dislike one-dimensional antagonists, and Miriam's adoptive mother is just that. Her motivations are hinted at, but even those explanations seem generic; she's not a fully rounded character. But then, so are none of the others. Try We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo for a coming-of-age story of a young African girl transplanted into Western society - it's infinitely better written.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you had asked me if this was a debut book or not, I would never have guessed it was a debut novel by new author Fiona Sussman. This book reads like Ms. Sussman is a seasoned professional.

I instantly was captivated by the world locations of South Africa and England. Although I was more drawn to South Africa. Yet, I was drawn to both Celia and Miriam. Both women overcame adversity and became stronger for it. Although I must admit that I was not surprised by the missing part in Miriam's past. However I was not disappointed by the news when it was revealed. I can not wait to see what Ms. Sussman comes out with next. If you are looking for a new author to read than you have to pick up a copy of this book, you won't regret it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free, for taking part in the Goodreads First Reads program.

The synopsis for this book was one which certainly intrigued me, as I have not read much fiction based in relatively modern-day Africa. Following the recent death of Nelson Mandela, the history of apartheid in South Africa has become a talking point once again, and it is refreshing to hear people talking so openly again about it.

In the 1960s, with racial tensions escalating in Johannesburg, a black house-servant called Celia Mphephu reluctantly allows her daughter Miriam to be adopted by her affluent white employers Michael and Rita Steiner. Miriam has spent most of her life shadowing her mother in the Steiner household, developing a bond with Michael who appears to be the only father figure in her life.

The Steiners decide that life would be safer for them and Miriam in England, where she will supposedly receive a better education and a better life. Celia has a husband who works in a mine, but the money he provides for Celia and her 3 sons is minimal, as pointed out by Rita. He eventually makes himself scarce for good, and after Celia and Miriam are eye witnesses to the police brutality toward blacks prevalent in the country, Celia accedes to the Steiner’s offer.

However, the life Miriam encounters in England is not what she expects, and the home life she experiences is devoid of love and affection. The Steiners are constantly arguing, as tensions over their failed pregnancies in South Africa continue to take their toll on their relationship. Michael still tries in vain to maintain a loving father-daughter relationship with Miriam, but Rita becomes intolerant of Miriam’s existence.

Miriam initially experiences being bullied by some of her fellow pupils at the school she is placed in, and seems completely detached after her sheltered early life with her mother. Adrift without companionship, she makes friends with an Indian girl called Zelda and is quickly made an honorary member of their Patel family.

It is this bond with Zelda which helps Miriam evolve as a young woman; the love the whole family, Zelda’s mother Rahini in particular, show for Miriam as if she was one of their own, is heart-warming. As an Indian family, they also have come to England for a better life and encountered frustrations because of their colour. It is likely for this reason that they welcome Miriam into their home, as they have experienced the alienation that Miriam has.

Back in South Africa, Celia’s attempts to get back in touch with Miriam are blocked by the authorities, and she is vilified for giving her daughter away. She also has her own struggles with maintaining employment, and keeping her sons – Miriam’s brothers - on the straight and narrow.

This book is not an enjoyable book, though this opinion should not be misunderstood. I do not mean that this is a bad book, but that it is one which makes you feel very uncomfortable reading. Celia’s life back in South Africa makes for extremely grim reading. The author Fiona Sussman has tackled a very sensitive topic admirably here. Blacks were treated appallingly during the Apartheid, and Sussman does not hide the worst offences of the infamous security police.

My only grievance about this novel is how quickly it moves through the years. There are some huge events in the life of Celia and Miriam which follow the adoption, yet they are sort of glanced over on the way to the next part of the story. I would have liked the author to spend more time setting the scene rather than rattle through the years at times.

This doesn’t overly detract from what is a very powerful and emotional book, and it left me thinking long after I finished.

[Kiwiflora · Rating 4 out of 5]

SHIFTING COLOURS by Fiona Sussman

Review copy kindly provided by Allison & Busby Ltd, via Booksellers NZ

I remember as a university student in the early 1980s, fresh out of a sheltered existence at my high school, being confronted almost head-on with The World as seen through the eyes of the university student newspaper. Apart from the usual gripes that students had towards the tertiary education policy of the day, the overwhelming memory I have of those weekly student newspapers is the ongoing coverage of the violence and injustice of life in South Africa. As a very naive 17 year old, I literally felt my eyes and mind being saturated and filled up with far away happenings.

Reading this novel took me right back to how I felt when I read those student rags, with their vivid and emotional reporting, engaging peoples' physical and emotional pain, the little control they have over the path their lives take, and how hope and human kindness can still be found in the most unexpected places. It is a fabulous story, carefully and sparingly written, not too emotionally awful, but enough to make one ache for the characters and how little they are able to change their condition.

Opening in 1959, in Johannesburg, six year old Miriam lives with her mother Celia who is the maid for an English couple, Ria and Michael. Life is tough for Celia, although Miriam, being a child much loved by her mother, knows no different. The continuing unrest in South Africa leads to Celia's employers returning to England, and giving Celia a terrible choice - they wish to adopt Miriam and give her the life that she could never have in Johannesburg. It breaks Celia's heart, and Miriam finds herself living in Norwich. The book then alternates Celia and Miriam narrating their stories as the years pass. Both suffer in their respective environments. Celia has trouble finding and retaining work, she has three older children and has to provide for them as well, black unrest continues unabated and Celia finds herself caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile in Norwich, where black people in the 1960s are almost unheard of, Miriam also has a terrible time. Unable to adjust in any way to life in England or to her new 'family', she is a most unhappy girl. An accidental meeting with an Indian girl and her family is the one bright thing in her life, and also becomes her anchor in the years to come.

Eventually Miriam, as an adult in the mid-1980s, finally realising that she needs to attend to the unfinished business of her early life in South Africa, makes the journey back to find where she came from. This perhaps was the most interesting part of the whole book. For here we have a black woman, well educated, speaking with an English accent, with the same rights as all other people in the UK, suddenly finding herself a repressed person, a second class citizen, subject to random searching, violation, and with very few rights.

I met the author socially at a dinner. This book had just been accepted for publishing and all she would modestly say about it was that it was set in South Africa. Very evasive. I am quite blown away that this is what her book was all about, and that it has been written with such humanity, power and intensity. She is South African born herself, and at university found herself drawn to the protest movement. Knowing that background now, it is hardly surprising she has written this book with injustice and identity as central themes.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Mphephu works for the Steiners. They're living in a white suburb in South Africa. Celia has a daughter, Miriam, and she loves her more than anything in the world. It's the beginning of the sixties and unrest grows in the country. So much that Mr. and Mrs. Steiner don't feel safe any longer. They want to go to England and because they don't have any children of their own they ask Celia if they can adopt Miriam. They will give her a secure future with more education than she'd ever been able to get in South Africa. Celia has to make the most difficult decision of her life...

Miriam doesn't like her life in England very much. She stands out and people aren't always friendly to her. She also misses her mother. She tries to live her life, but she doesn't feel complete. That's why she eventually decides to go back to South Africa to look for her roots.

Shifting Colours is an impressive story about a mother and a daughter who are separated. Celia has to make a difficult decision and she does that out of love, which is awful and beautiful at the same time. The situation in South Africa is scary, she fears for her daughter, and I could totally imagine that. It must be really hard to live in a country that has such strong foundations based on inequality. I felt so bad for her and for everything she had to go through. I wanted Miriam to be safe, but my heart broke when they were separated.

I highly recommend this great novel. The writing is really good, it makes the reader feel everything that's going on so well. There are two voices, Miriam's and Celia's. I think that they were cleverly intertwined. I immediately loved both of their personalities. I cared for them and that made me feel emotionally attached to the story straight away. It left such a deep impression on me. I highly recommend this book, it's absolutely brilliant.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book spanned decades. We start out in 1959 in South Africa. Celia works for the Steiner's in a White suburb. She's lucky that her young daughter Miriam is allowed to stay with her. As the 60's loom and the racial and political unrest become dangerous, the Steiner's choose to leave South Africa for England. Obviously Apartheid was always dangerous for South Africa's Black citizens. That's not neglected. They want to take Miriam with them. She's smart, and they feel they can give her a better life than whatever fate awaits her in South Africa. Celia has other children. Three boys who live with her mother. She cherishes her only daughter. So, she sends her to England.
We go through the years through Celia's and Miriam's eyes. Each experiencing different hardships. Until it's just Miriam and she's searching for her mother.
I felt for Celia. You can relate to her character. She's likable and you feel for her.
You feel anger at Rita. Who was not likable. Somehow even hearing about her miscarriages and stillbirth (while hinting at a sad childhood) made her actions inexcusable. Maybe if she had a chapter explaining it would have made a difference.
The only thing that bothered me was the ending. I would have liked an interaction between Miriam and Michael after Miriam found out about Michael and his relation to her.
A small thing. But important to the story.
I read it in a few hours. It's a page turner. But not in the traditional sense.

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celia Mphephu is a black maid in Johannesburg. The apartheid era has started Her bosses decide to escape the dangers of South Africa and return to England. Childless, they offer to adopt Celia's daughter Miriam and take her to a better and safer life.

The book then goes through two parallel paths of Miriam, a young black girl growing up in England in the 60s and 70s, with Celia's and her life during the apartheid years. Both have very sad tales. Miriam's adopted mother finds she does not really want to be a mum and is a right cow. Celia experiences imprisonment, torture and discrimination.

The second part of the book has Miriam returning to South Africa and looking for her mother. This part does not have the same rawness as the previous part and while there was an interesting twist at the end, the book could have been dug deeper into the evils it covered.

Still, a good read.

[Christine Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out with writing that I thought was "delicious", but after the first few chapters it felt like the author had gone out and someone else had written the rest. Instead of feeling I was within the characters they all became quite two dimensional. Quite a good story, and addresses issues, but I really did not like the ending. It felt twee.

[Robin O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now understand apartheid in South Africa. I thought England was so much more open to color than the United States. Not if this book is true. A book telling of the deep love between mother and child.

[Christi Poulsom · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read a bit of it, I just didn't feel very engaged with the story. I'm sure its fine, just not for me.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give this a five. I was totally sucked into the descriptions of Africa.

[FreeFormLady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a page turner! I could really feel the emotions of the characters.
Check out more of my thoughts in my BookTube video: https://youtu.be/Tuk5Zb7TYo0

[Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Listened as an audiobook and couldn't stop.

[Plgd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish....bleeh

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiona Sussman is an author that I will probably read again. "Another Woman's Daughter" is a sad tale of a black woman in the late 1950's living as a servant to a young white couple just at the cusp of Apartheid. When things start to turn dicey, this childless couple decides to return to England and offers to adopt her daughter so that she can have educational opportunities that are illegal to blacks in that day. The suggestion is presented with lots of promises including annual visits so that the mother can maintain her close relationship with her daughter. Circumstances and a less than honest representation separate Miriam from her Mme (Mom, Celia) until Miriam makes a quest to find why she was abandoned to white parents with whom her bonds were less than stable.

Miriam's return to Africa is one of shock, while sensitive about her difference in melanin and the teasing and other ill treatment as she matured in England, has done little to prepare her for second class citizenship and the tenuous life of anyone black in S. Africa. Overcoming many issues, she persists in seeking to discover her history of which she knew little (having left at age 6). The book concludes with insights into the rationale of her mother's decision to let her adored daughter go into another reality. Everything ends with a tidy bow. Although, we have seen similar stories before, the writing was interesting. The characters could have been better developed but they had enough substance to carry the story along. The issues of violence seemed real enough though the political system plays a very limited role in the story, it's presence adds enough flavor.

[E.S Danon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has left a huge imprint on my soul- giving me the feeling of peace knowing that Miriam found her way home to find not only her mother- but herself. Truly amazing.

[Rhuddem Gwelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops, I've already read this one. I don't remember exactly what I thought but I'm pretty sure I liked it. I remembered it as soon as I started reading it. So I'll rate it with 3*

[Linus Olofsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

En vacker och inte minst tänkvärd berättelse om människans grymhet, men också om hopp, kärlek och längtan. Målande beskrivningar som får en att föras tillbaka i tid och rum.