Windhoek's club scene becomes a place of mayhem and murder in Anne Hambuda's debut novel, 'Iniquity'.
Self-published by the longtime The Namibian columnist, journalist, poet and filmmaker, Hambuda's novel hits the streets just in time for all that December leisure.
Hambuda describes 'Iniquity' as "a thriller, a mystery and a dark romance all wrapped in one".
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Fast-paced and set in a somewhat grittier Windhoek, the novel draws on Hambuda's own experiences of the city's nightlife as it introduces a respected entertainment magnate leading a double life.
"As someone who's worked in clubs, on stages and behind the scenes, it's been fun to pull back the curtain on Namibian nightlife in a way that will make anyone reading it feel like they can actually picture it happening," she says.
In Hambuda's Windhoek, Anthony Belo is an entertainment industry entrepreneur with various skeletons in his closet.
"On one hand, he is an entertainment magnate and public figure who hosts parties and mingles with the rich and famous. On the other, he commands an underground network of drugs, sex and illicit trade," she says.
"Anthony goes to great lengths to keep these two worlds from colliding, till rumours start spreading about what really goes on at the clubs he runs," she says.
"And the timing couldn't be worse, because he's just met the woman of his dreams, and he'll do anything to stop her from seeing the man beneath the carefully crafted outer shell."
Through 'Iniquity', Hambuda's childhood dream of becoming a novelist comes true.
An avid reader of everything in her parent's large library since she was young, Hambuda says: "I've always loved Roald Dahl. He taught me a lot about living a whimsical life.
"Ama Ata Aidoo has also inspired me quite a bit. She speaks my language. I also read a lot of Mills & Boon, Goosebumps, The Princess Diaries, Danielle Steel and John Grisham growing up."
She jokes that she decided to self-publish because she's a control freak.
"I'm enjoying being as involved as possible and taking on a lot of the responsibility of whatever the outcome is," she says.
Though traditional publishing was her original goal, Hambuda took control and built her book from scratch through a process of trial and error.
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"I've learnt and done the most random things along the way, like choosing the kind of paper, measuring the margins of a page, font selection, book formatting, various random design tools and way too much math for my liking, on top of essentially being my own public relations officer and admin assistant," she says.
"I jumped right in and made a lot of mistakes that eventually turned into something good."
Hambuda says she'll be selling and delivering 'Iniquity' informally around Namibia.
"A copy costs N$300 and readers can email or find me on social media if they want one," she says.
In South Africa, where the author is based, and around the world, the book will be available for delivery on Amazon and Takealot.
- martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
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