Harare Review of Books

352 pages.

This edition published Oct 2, 2023 (Amazon/Lake Union Publishing)

Fiction.

I highly recommend starting a book with no expectations at all, because Angela Makholwa’s The 30th Candle was a really pleasant surprise. Although she is a renowned writer in this part of the world, this was my first Makholwa, and I’m glad I picked it up.

Four friends are about to turn 30. They’re successful women who’ve passed various milestones, or hope to, and they have all of the expectations you will remember (or have) around the big three-oh. What transpires for each of them isn’t what they imagined, necessarily; but this is a book with happy endings. And if you’re expecting fluff and steam—there’s some, but also trials and sadness, humour, warmth, and deeply human experiences.

The 30th Candle has been adapted, and there’s a film out on Netflix (Love, Sex, and 30 Candles) which I haven’t watched yet—will fix that this weekend. Hopefully it’s at least as good as the book. The edition I read is a revised one; the original novel came out in 2009, and this edition is updated for global readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon/Lake Union Publishing for a fun and engrossing diversion.

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