If You Want to Make God Laugh cover art

If You Want to Make God Laugh

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

If You Want to Make God Laugh

By: Bianca Marais
Narrated by: Bianca Amato, Katharine Lee McEwan, Bahni Turpin
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.58

Buy Now for £14.58

About this listen

 From the author of the beloved Hum If You Don't Know the Words comes a rich, unforgettable story of three unique women in post-Apartheid South Africa who are brought together in their darkest time and discover the ways that love can transcend the strictest of boundaries.

In a squatter camp on the outskirts of Johannesburg, seventeen-year-old Zodwa lives in desperate poverty, under the shadowy threat of a civil war and a growing AIDS epidemic. Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life.

Across the country, wealthy socialite Ruth appears to have everything her heart desires, but it's what she can't have that leads to her breakdown. Meanwhile, in Zaire, a disgraced former nun, Delilah, grapples with a past that refuses to stay buried. When these personal crises send both middle-aged women back to their rural hometown to heal, the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby upends everything, challenging their lifelong beliefs about race, motherhood, and the power of the past.

As the mystery surrounding the infant grows, the complicated lives of Zodwa, Ruth, and Delilah become inextricably linked. What follows is a mesmerizing look at family and identity that asks: How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves? Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Africa Heartfelt South African Fiction
All stars
Most relevant
This book gripped me from the start. Well written, clever & real. South African classic.

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved each of the main characters story. Timeless Read. Must Read. Highly recommended. Thank You for writing this story.

Excellent Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absorbing sad informative hopeful loving. A really good listen and helped by hearing in local voices

Beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Marais has a good ear and a sure hand. The characters generally felt authentic… Delilah a bit slow to shake off her shackles— but Ruth a standout hero- flawed and empathetic.
My only gripe is with the actor voicing Delilah in Zodwa’s chapters. Her accent was jarringly Australian instead of South African.

Excellent depiction of the newly post-apartheid years in South Africa

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I wasn't hugely excited by the title, expecting it to have a religious slant but I was pleasantly suprised. it was an intriguing story and I liked how it was set in a different time and place to what I know much about.
I found the narration generally good- I'm not South African so I can't really comment on whether it's authentic. However, I found the difference between Ruth and Delilah's accents to be off-putting. It seemed strange to give them completely different accents when they are supposed to be sisters.
I would recommend this book, it was insightful and enjoyable with a satisfying ending.

Glad I read this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.