‘The Witchdoctor’s Bones’ is the latest from Lisa de Nikolits. I’ve heard Lisa present sections of her novels at various reading nights over the past couple of years. She always manages to present tidy snippets of complex novels, that stand alone but invite us to want to read the whole novel.
lonely blue
Witchdoctor follows the well-establish structure of strangers on a journey revealing their lives, secrets and fears as they travel. ‘From Canterbury Tales’ to ‘Then There Were None’ this story telling framework gives writers a strong form to work with.
day of the dead tree
In Witchdoctor we join a disparate group of travellers on a bus tour from Cape Town, South Africa to Fort Namutoni, Nambia. As they travel tempers and passions flair. Death follows them with increasing tension as the novels progresses.
Lisa handles a large cast well, each of the tourists has a clear personalty, motives become clear then vague as more layers of their lives are peeled back. She also conveys a real sense of place, the heat, the dust, the humor and the endlessness of the bus ride itself.
didn’t make it to the lights
In conveying so much details about the tour the book verges on a travel guide but the information is parcelled out in digestible portions and never overwhelms the story as it unfolds. With so many characters I did get a bit lost and some didn’t really propel the story forward.
If romance, suspense and serial killers under the African sun are your cup of tea this book is for you.
Door
I shut you out
with a smile a little joke a judgment
about the small minor little trivial things
the way you sit
the way you clack the giant spoon
against the coffee cup
that small gesture
shakes the foundations
I shut you out
by deciding
this isn’t exactly perfect
in my dream
you aren’t so tall so thin so willing
so ready wanting needy omnipresent
you are so right
in the dream
I have shut you out so effectively
you aren’t even present
so effectively that no one is present
the room is plain empty white
silent self illuminating
I shut you out
buy sneering at your taste
in music in friends
those dope smoker idiots
who never come around
unless you use the lure of diversion
whilst I am there
regardless
you don’t have to entertain me
I shut you out
by not giving you that chance
force you to just be
to just sit and not move
so I can look and enjoy the vision of you
silent sullen in a quiet room
no loud cranky aggressive music
only a faint echo
from across the street
a piano tinkle a snore
I shut you out
by acting as if I don’t care
that you are so busy
that you have made a life
that allows you
to enjoy life without me
there
like an over eager parent
with milk and cookies
for you and your sleazy little
druggie buddies
oh oh there I’ve gone and done it again
like I always seem to do
brought in a judgement
that shuts you out
that lowers you
that raises me
how silly I can be sometimes
I can use that guilt to shut you out
I’m too judgmental for you
I don’t really care what you do
is the lie I use
to shut myself out
from myself
I don’t say a thing
that is the hardest slam
I know
the silent nudge
the ponderous heavy superiority
I don’t want to maintain
but want to blame it on
something
my upbringing
my righteous path to the glory of god
anything
to keep that smudge
away from my little clean corner of the world
I come back to you
because you are the human one
so sweet angry tender hurt
looking for something
but not sure what
while I am here nose up turned
distrustful of your search
not allow it to just be
I have to judge it rate it
oh well
what’s a man to do
there is love in the air
when someone on the other side of the door
knocks to be let in
scratches at a window
plays in the sun
I know I have to let myself out
before I can let anyone in
and that means open the door
come in come out move about
as I try not to shut you out
tip 1: toss what you don’t need
Like my pictures? I post lots on Tumblr
TOpoet 