As this month comes to an end, I know this might sting a bit so I thought I would end with this novel about substance abuse set in Harare. In her debut novel, Claire Adlam introduces us to the Hay family.

“Meet Kat. Just a regular teenager growing up on a Zimbabwean farm. Full of fun, but sensible – her brother and grandfather are far more suited to the role of family nutters. Then a tragic accident takes her-slowly, insidiously-from her idyllic world into a darker reality. Chronic pain leads her to a stormy love affair with pharmaceuticals and into a battle she seems unlikely to win. Playing fast and loose with their prescription pads, doctors help set the scene for Kat’s utter destruction. In treatment, a group of colorful characters do their best to draw her from the dark underbelly of life, back into a lighter world. In the background, skeletons continue to tumble from the family closet with Kat’s mother saving the best for last. Light and wittily told, This Might Sting a Bit is a laugh-while-you-weep story of hope, survival and family. It throws some punches, yet embraces the reader as it follows the journeys of broken and vulnerable members of society, and those who fight to save them.” – Back cover blurb.

Title: This Might Sting a Bit

Author: Claire Adlam

Publisher: Quickfox Publishing

ISBN: 978-0620947152

Claire Adlam grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe before migrating to South Africa in 2006 where she now runs her own communications and design agency. She has over 20 years’ experience in the media and public relations field. This Might Sting a Bit is her first novel.

#ZimbabweLitMonth is curated by novelist Sue Nyathi. She is a published Zimbabwean author of four fiction titles: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), and An Angel’s Demise (2022). She also edited a nonfiction anthology titled When Secrets Become Stories, Women Speak Out (2021). You can visit her website here and follow her on Twitter at @SueNyathi.