The Golddiggers

By: Sue Nyathi

Narrated by: Malika Ndlovu

It’s 2008 and the height of Zimbabwe’s economic demise. A group of passengers is huddled in a Toyota Quantum about to embark on a treacherous expedition to the City of Gold. Amongst them is Gugulethu, who is hoping to be reconciled with her mother; Dumisani, an ambitious young man who believes he will strike it rich; Chamunorwa and Chenai, twins running from their troubled past; and Portia and Nkosi, a mother and son desperate to be reunited with a husband and father they see once a year.

They have paid a high price for the dangerous passage to what they believe is a better life - an escape from the vicious vagaries of their present life in Bulawayo. In their minds, the streets of Johannesburg are paved with gold, but they will have to dig deep to get close to any gold, dirtying themselves in the process.

Told with brave honesty and bold description, the stories of the individual immigrants are simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-warming.

©2019 Sue Nyathi (P)2019 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

A Good and Tragic Story to Tell

If there were a 3.5 button to rate this book, that would've been more appropriate. However, hopefully, the law of averages will settle the score and perhaps other reviewers will be more generous. There were minor issues with the audio file. It appears that the editer/producer missed some obvious mistakes. The fact that the narrator mispronounces some of the Nguni and Sotho phrases, including the bland accents, does little in masking the errors. This thus makes the listening experience rather ordinary at best and annoying at worst for those few moments. In terms of the writing, the author clearly spent time researching this topic. Consequently, she gives a very realistic, heart-wrenching and colourful outlook on Johannesburg. The characters are simple, but, their diversity makes for an intricate understanding of the human experience in this young and vibrant metropolis. It is quite disappointing that she merely hints at the politics. Due to the lack of a character that is intellectually stimulating, the reader is treated to a limited understanding of The history, economics and cultures of this region. A person might even think, because of the simplemindedness of most of the characters, that the author has a skewed view of the politics of the day. With that said, the book is definitely worth a read for it is entertaining in a genre fiction way.

Best ever

This novel is so honest, so heart wrenching. A truly gifted author and storyteller. Cannot wait to get more more by this author and listen to a story told by this narrator.

Great book

Loved it. I could really connect with the struggles of being a Zimbabwean in a foreign land.

Good story, terrible Narration

For Context, I am South African. I appreciate the writer’s insights into the story. It’s real and something I resonate with as people live it daily in our country. I was so excited to support a “local” (read SADC) writer, especially as I don’t often find local books on Audible. BUT… the pain of listening to not one but SEVERAL South African languages being butchered by the narrator 😖😖😖 ahhhghhhh!!! It was BAD!! Terrible. And there are so MANY Brilliant narrators that could have done this justice. This part was deeply disappointing!