Miracle of crocodile flats, by Jenny Hobbs

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Price: R180.00

ISBN:9781415200629, Paperback, Umuzi, due March 2012

When the Virgin Mary, Ma-Jesu, appears to a young schoolgirl named Sweetness, the sighting gives rise to an onslaught of curious pilgrims, mercenary journalists and even a representative of the Vatican. It inspires varying reactions from the townsfolk, with many taking advantage of the business opportunity presented. Significantly this Mary is not white or black, like in some pre-Renaissance artworks, but “brown like us”. But regardless of her colour there is much competition between the rivalling religious factions.

Clever satire with the Virgin Mary appearing in a small SA village. With wry humour, Hobbs exposes the hypocrisy, corruption and absurdity inherent in formalised religion, balancing this with flashes of its more benign side, such as its ability to unite and bring solace.

Jenny Hobbs is a novelist and freelance journalist. She reviewed books for many years and has also written for radio and worked on TV book programmes as compiler, organiser, presenter and interviewer. She is the author of Thoughts in a Makeshift Mortuary, The Sweet-Smelling Jasmine and The Telling of Angus Quain. She lives in Franschhoek, and is the co-founder of the Franschoek Literary Festival.