Litnet

"This is my first traditionally published novel set outside of South Africa. This is a story that could only be set in the USA. The combination of survivalist cult, ultra-right-wing white supremacists and federal authorities could only take place there. That was the story I felt compelled to tell, and that dictated the setting."

"Quite apart from the comments about Afrikaans, Charlize said some other things that don’t ring true to the South African ear."

"I wanted to make the point that competitive parenting has become a worldwide phenomenon."

"Most of my books deal with issues that affect women, and it’s hard to rank these in terms of importance."

"It is about a woman by the name of Lucy Lurie (clearly inspired by Coetzee’s character of the same name), who is trying to recover from a gang rape. What makes her situation more unbearable is that a male writer, John Coetzee, has written a bestselling book about her experience. She feels as though it was her story to tell."

"We all want our books to sell well and to reach the widest possible audience. Being invited to Franschhoek is an invaluable leg-up for any writer’s career. May the festival continue to go from strength to strength."

"Student grievances have been the subject of some of the best post-apartheid novels. These are not books that appeared briefly in print, sold a few hundred copies and disappeared without trace. They have been prescribed for school and university, reprinted many times, and translated into different languages."