The Chords of a Hymn by Lazarus Kgageng

Sometimes it only takes a glance for love to brew and be a form of solace. At sixteen years of age, Sechaba’s life is thrown into the midst of every chaos imaginable, and the life he knows as an only son from an affluent family vanishes like a puff of smoke. Despite the peril that threatens his future, Sechaba hears the whispers of a promising affection when he lays his eyes on the new white boy, Napoleon Smith, at his school.

As if the darkness of the shadows of his true identity and the heavy secrecy of the abominable relationship he is already party to isn’t enough, Sechaba constantly fights to save the life of his mother, Christina Moagi, from the wrath of her husband. The fury of hell descends upon his life when he fights and topples Hendrick, the most feared bully in the township and the leader of the Six Gang at school, and he is faced with suspension.

More often, the gilded walls that shimmer in the eye of the public are held rigid by blood and heart-wrenching sobs. Sechaba questions his mother’s decision to remain in her marriage and initiates her to go down the memory lane in pursuit of an answer. While maneuvering between the need to erase the pain he grew up with, Sechaba has to choose between pursuing genuine love and emerging from his shadows, shielding his mother from looming death, getting himself back in school, and keeping himself alive.

It makes one wonder: at what price will Sechaba’s life know peace? Will the pain really leave him?