This masterful literary thriller by acclaimed author Johan Vlok Louw (Eric the Brave, Karoo Dusk, Sons of Mud) was praised by the public and critics alike for its evocative sense of place, emotionally resonant story telling, and poignant climax. (Long listed for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize 2019).
'A Gap in the Hedge is a powerful novel, an excellent work of literature, and I recommend it most highly.' Janet van Eeden. LitNet.
When Karl wakes up in a derelict house on the edge of a mining town, he has no memory of who he is or how he got there. In the garage he finds a fast car, a duffel bag with cash, and a small caliber Sig Sauer pistol. But even after this discovery and recognizing it as 'tools of a dubious trade' he remains a stranger to himself.
- "I hope we're not just common thieves, Karl." He says: "We would prefer to be more than that."
'...it makes the reader think, while being seduced by words. A Gap in the Hedge is as good a book as could be.' Jennifer Crocker. IOL.
As fragments of his troubled past begins to emerge, Karl forms an unlikely friendship with Henri, a vulnerable ten-year old boy whose family moves in next door. The boy's father is a violent small time drug dealer and the mother, worn out by abuse, is unable to protect her son against him. Separated only by a gap in an overgrown hedge, Karl offers Henri refuge, hope...and plants the first seeds of defiance.
- "It's going to take time to un-scare you fully, boy." He says.
When a drug deal involving Henri's father spirals out of control, murder is committed, and the ensuing investigation threatens to expose long buried truths. As tension builds and Karl's own darkness closes in, the narrative hurtles towards the real connection between Karl and Henri.
Readers have been left breathless by the moving, twist filled ending, often vowing to 'read the book again.' Feel free to join the club now!
'...I couldn't read another novel for days after as the last waves of the narrative lapped against my consciousness.' Karen Schimke. (Award winning Author).
Louw's work has been short-listed for the UJ Prize for Creative English Literature (2014) and Novel of the Year by the SA Literary Association and Write Associates (2024). All his books were longlisted for the Sunday Times Award for Fiction. (First Editions published by Penguin Random House.)
