Defining marks are etched onto their bodies to label and box them in sectors of production, so when Nicolas shows his interest in Ettie, both of them know that he is forbidden to her. Their handler is cruel and uncaring, but Ettie and Kitty must just survive long enough to reach their coming of age, where they will then be assigned a trade, controlled by the Machine. With an instant connection to the main characters, Ettie is nearly caught, on purpose, in order that Kitty can get away safely.

Thrust immediately into a scene of chaos, readers are confronted by invisible monsters, market nags, locusts and sun worshippers, watching as thieves from the Slums dig for treasures in the debris. Local readers are a really lucky bunch.Instantly gripping, The Mark’s first chapter has readers scrambling for some semblance of recognition in a city that sounds like Johannesburg but where nothing is the same. This book is a fine addition to the high calibre of South African young adult fiction titles available. Now she’s showing off her serious side, and raised the bar super high. Then she cracked her knuckles and released the dystopian post-apocalyptic novel The Mark. Her earlier works and most recently, her Snitch series, are so funny and lighthearted. I really have to take my hat off to Edyth. With any luck, it will become prescribed reading in schools. It’s a beautifully written, really touching exploration of what it means to live in South Africa and what we have gone through as a nation. I think South African readers will really resonate with this story. The novel also juxtaposes modern politics against the brutal laws of the past, giving the reader a clear picture of how drastically South Africa has changed, and what challenges still remain. “Choice” is a central theme, specifically the choices we make and how the repercussions can span generations. Slowly an old family secret is revealed as well as the full extent of the horrors her family experienced in the past. While she is looking for clues about her family in her Aunt’s home, Jenna discovers a letter that contains the word “murderer”. Jenna, on the other hand, is a member of Generation Z in the new South Africa, but not everything is perfect in the Rainbow Nation. Margaret grew up during the height of Apartheid, a time when families were being terrorised by the secret police and people were brutalised daily. The novel explores the lives of two young women – one in 1963 and the other in present-day Johannesburg. (You may remember it as one of my top YA picks for winter.) Edyth Bulbring’s The Choice Between Us (Tafelberg, 2019) is a clever little book.

The Choice Between Us by Edyth Bulbring