Death, love and the healing force of nature set in Africa
Chanette Paul is no newcomer when it comes to writing fiction. Fortuin is her thirty-first novel. As a native of South Africa, where she is well known for her work, Paul writes her novels in Afrikaans. She describes Fortuin (meaning "fortune") as a "story about the warring forces of good and evil, love and hate, the choice between blindly suffering or bravely conquering our pain and the fine balance that we tread between these extremes." And she delivers her heartfelt plot with a sense of humor.Xanthe Tredoux, the novel's protagonist, is a freelance journalist who arrives at Paradise Gorge, a mystical healing retreat, to expose Eva van Eden, its owner, as a charlatan. The secluded estate, only accessible by air, is peculiar enough--but some of guests and inhabitants are downright strange. Events take an eerie turn when Xanthe finds two guests have died under suspicious circumstances and begins to suspect she might be next in line to die at the hand of 'mother nature'. The unconventional detective, Gys Niemand, knows something is seriously amiss at Paradise Gorge, but has to unravel the puzzle miles away from the almost impenetrable estate whilst fighting his personal battles too.
Maria Muller, a London reviewer, describes Fortuin as "one of the best Afrikaans books I've read in a long time - incredibly interesting and unpredictable. Chanette skillfully manages to counterbalance opposites - love and hate, good and evil... And the subtle humor frequently had me smiling."Chanette Paul has found a unique new voice in the suspense genre. The theme of this novel is daring and bound to cause heated discussions amongst members of many a reading circle. The setting for the novel is unique and magical enough to make readers wish such a place actually existed. Ms. Paul credits the inspiration for the "healing gardens of Paradise Gorge--seven of them, each with a different theme and symbolism"--as coming from a book titled The Charmed Garden by Diane Morgan.
Sandra Brown, Nicci French, Minette Walters, Sue Grafton, Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins-Clark and Jodi Picoult are among the writers that inspired Chanette Paul. She loves to read. Leisure-wise, she is a "water baby by nature." Her cottage sits on the banks of a river and her village is just inland from the Whale Coast. "Watching the whales cavort is a real privilege and pleasure," says this author, who also enjoys "snorkeling, swimming, kayaking and playing deckhand on her partner's pontoon boat when he takes guests out for bird watching."
Chanette Paul's books including Fortuin can be purchased online at the following South African booksellers: Graffiti Books, Kalahari, and Lapa.
Contributing editor Sibylle Barrasso is the author of Dark Waters. She was a finalist in the "St. Martins Press Best First Private Eye Novel Contest," received an award from Sue Grafton at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and was a contributing author of Bad Boys and Bad Girls in the Badlands, a critical anthology about mysteries set in the Southwest.
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