Chasing Marian by Amy Heydenrych, Qarnita Loxton, Pamela Power and Gail Schimmel

‘Raw’, ‘funny’, ‘explosive’ – are all suitable descriptors for Chasing Marian, the highly anticipated new South African novel by Amy Heydendrych, Qarnita Loxton, Pamela Power and Gail Schimmel, published in March this year by Pan Macmillan.

When bestselling novelist Marian Keyes’s tour to South Africa was predictably cancelled in 2020, four SA writers and friends decided to use the lockdown to write a novel inspired by their shared love for the Irish author and their disappointment of missing out on meeting her.

Written in what those in the know would instantly recognise as typically Keyesian style, it is clear that the authors had as much fun writing this fast-paced tale about four strangers from two cities who meet online, as I did reading it.

Heydendrych, one of the writers, said in an interview that writing Chasing Marian with three of her writer friends had been a welcome escape during the gloomiest days of the pandemic, and that she particularly enjoyed the lightheartedness and joy that this collaboration offered. Every week, a new chapter would arrive in her inbox from a co-author which set new challenges and traps for her character, making for a fun writing process.

The characters in Chasing Marian are – like those in all Keyes’ novels – complex, relatable, true-to-life people with quirks and flaws, each with their own unique challenges and struggles.

Jess is a ‘yummy mummy’ of two from the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, who is recently separated from her husband and whose idyllic life is crumbling around her. Ginger is a 55-year old widow, mother and grandmother with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humour. The only male in this quartet, Matt is a sensitive, almost-qualified psychologist who loves Chick Lit novels and his mother. Rounding off the foursome is saucy Queenie, a librarian from Cape Town who has an absent boyfriend and a secret writing habit.

All die-hard Marian Keyes fans, the four meet and become friends online and start plotting a plan to meet Marian when she is set to attend a South African literary festival.

I particularly enjoyed the breakneck pace, the rawness, and the honesty of the dialogue as the four strangers’ online friendship deepens and they open up about the trials and tribulations of their respective lives. The novel also tackles some contemporary themes, including wokeness, social-media extortion, infidelity and depression, among others.

South African readers will take pleasure in identifying the book’s various settings, recognising coffee shops, suburbs, seaside spots and game lodges. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the characters meeting at one or two of my own favourites, including the Service Station Café in Melville and Olives and Plates in Hyde Park.

The authors manage to capture the essence of friendship and the very ‘vibe’ of this country in a delicious, heartwarming read brimming with snort-laugh moments. Chasing Marian is just what the doctor ordered for all of us still suffering from post-lockdown stress. The fact that Marian Keyes gave the book a thumbs-up is just the cherry on the cake.