Hostile Opponents Are Ruinous Companions

Short story review

Photo by Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash

There are instances when acknowledgment of a forced apology is as passive-aggressive as failing to express remorse.

Because it is assumed that sibling rivalry stems from competition from parental recognition, it is reasonable to presume that if the bond is solidified by revenge disguised as sport, the kindred are likely blood sisters.

If the linkage is a source of universal support and the involved appreciate the impact of an apology, troubling relationships right themselves. Although familial bonds are influenced by personality, treatment, and experience, There’s No Way to Say Sorry When You Aren’t, proves that this is especially true of siblings.

An influencer with millionaire aesthetics, Karabo, the protagonist, is the eldest of two orphan adults. Having recently attained the ripe age of thirty, she is more concerned with inflicting revenge upon her sister, Thando, than finding/maintaining a consensual relationship with someone other than her brother-in-law.

Tinged with spite-laced envy, she accepts the positive results of a sixth pregnancy test administered by a physician. This is troublesome for any single woman, not to mention one equipped with the parental skills of an eraser who justifies decisions using an internal scale weighted in favor of her fluidity.

Although progressive, contemporary values bear the brunt of societal fixations because they are testaments against forced inexperience.  But this dynamic tale isn’t one of a woman in travail. Readers will not be forced to empathize with either character but may gain a new index of toxic familial love.

An evaluation of anger and the comfort resulting from unresolved rage, if anecdotal, this account suggests a need to explore whether apologies improve underlying situations when all involved are dishonest and dishonored.

Written by Matshediso Radebe, a South African millennial known for her ability to explore interestingly troubled relationships, this plot-driven 2022 Commonwealth short-lister requires readers to redefine the dramatic impact of deceit and deception.

A slow-burn about a toxic sibling bond fueled by lust, greed, and parental attention which can never be received, this vignette about the uncertainties of a pregnancy journey will not appeal to readers with a strong pro-life stance.

Rating: 4.89/5

Another short by a South African featuring a woman having an illicit relationship:

The Life of the Imagination, by Nadine Gordimer