1 out of 4 stars
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Oasis of Love by Sizwe Khumalo follows the trials of married couple Donna and Sheriff. The story starts with these two in a happy and fulfilling relationship. Dupsey, Donna’s cousin, is jealous of this and seeks to take Sheriff for herself. Dupsey enlists the aid of a friend, Vusi, to seduce Donna with a life of riches and comfort. Donna, tired of being poor, falls into Dupsey and Vusi’s trap. Is her relationship with Sheriff doomed, or can he fight to get her back?
I had a difficult time following this book. This is due in large part to the writing. I’m not sure if this book was originally written in English or if it was translated, but regardless, it does not appear edited at all. I didn’t get through a single sentence without a spelling, grammar, or punctuation error. This book is in serious need of a copyedit.
Even before the copyedit, though, the content and narrative need attention. I felt the entire book was told, rather than shown. Something would happen, and then a line would follow, stating how a person—not necessarily the characters—should feel or react in this situation. There were large time gaps in the story that would start with a “insert amount of time later” with no explanation of why all that time was skipped. The plot didn’t feel linear. Rather, it was a series of terrible things happening to the characters. I wanted to be able to connect or empathize with at least one character, but it was difficult, given the nature of the writing. I wasn’t able to get into anyone’s headspace. Instead, I just felt dragged along through all the horrible events befalling the cast.
Another reason things didn’t make sense was that important information was withheld. For example, Dupsey being Donna’s cousin and her reason for wanting to break Donna and Sheriff apart isn’t shared until almost the end of the book. As a result, the beginning left me scratching my head as to why this seemingly random woman wanted to break this couple apart. There were many other side stories with additional characters, but if I’m honest, I’m unsure of what many of them were about. Everything was so rushed that I couldn’t put the pieces together.
I rate Oasis of Love 1 out of 4 stars. I’d love to say there’s a good story beneath all the issues, but I’m not sure. Without a clearer picture of what happened in this crammed-together story, I can’t say what might improve this book. Scrapping and starting over might be the best approach. Perhaps after many edits and a thorough proofread, I would recommend this book to lovers of family dramas. For now, though, I suggest passing this one up.
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Oasis of love
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