I remember reading Angela Makholwa’s debut novel Red Ink a few years back. While that book had a more believable plot and a better description of the settings (one that made the streets of Jozi and Pretoria come alive), this one has more memorable characters, and the crime is better interwoven while the suspense in Red Ink is more inventive.
The plot of Black Widow Society is centred around a secret club of abused wives who plot to kill their husbands and find solidarity in that singular pursuit. The central premise is a bit too far-fetched, not because there are not enough abused partners to pursue such revenge but because the possibility of successfully implementing such murders one after another for any lengthy time takes a huge stretch of the imagination (but come on! What is fiction for, if not to briefly suspend reality).
However, the story is very well told. The characters are well-developed too. Apart from Marie, who is a victim of a recording gone wrong, there is no other likeable character in the book. All awful humans on both sides.
The conclusion is slightly unbelievable and unconvincing as the central plot of the book, but in all, it is a well-told story and an easy read. Still a big fan of Angela Makholwa.
3.1/5
