Sex, Lies & Stellenbosch

‘Poker night had started off as a legitimate monthly card game; it was Frans who’d turned it into “poke-her” night. He’d been going to a gentleman’s club in the city for quite some time. It was he who had suggested that they spice up their regular boys’ night, assuring everyone that it was discreet and upmarket; at a price, of course. They were wealthy enough to buy discretion and they were all keen to bring some excitement into their lives. Being in a group somehow made it more acceptable, should their wives ever find out. So, poke-her night it became. It was, as most of these clubs were, at an undisclosed address in Cape Town.’ Sex, Lies & Stellenbosch uncovers what really goes on behind closed doors in the seemingly upstanding community of Stellenbosch, one of South Africa’s wealthiest small towns, home to 3 400 dollar millionaires (before they invested in Steinhoff shares). Written as fiction to protect the innocent, the book exposes the explosive dark truths of the Winelands’ elite. All is revealed through Jen, wife of John Pearce, a renowned wine farmer and businessman. Jen stumbles upon her playboy husband in a compromising position with his sexy wine rep, Patty. Jen is forced to choose between leaving her marriage, jeopardising her standing and stability in the community or turning a blind eye to his infidelity. On the day of the discovery, Jen books herself into a luxurious spa, using her cheating husband’s credit card, and serendipitously meets Claudia, a psychologist. This chance meeting helps Jen make sense of her crumbling world. She is betrayed by friends and bolstered by unlikely allies.

Eva Mazza has a BA Dramatic Art degree from Wits and a teacher’s diploma through Trinity College (London). She was born in Joburg but has lived in Stellenbosch for 22 years. She teaches drama and writes in her spare time. Her play Acceptance was staged at the Johannesburg Theatre in 2016, staring Jerry Mofokeng and Lea Vivier. Sex, Lies & Stellenbosch is her debut novel.