The Sunday Mail
LIFE is full of obstacles that may derail us from what we are destined to achieve.
Sometimes the obstacles have devastating effects, shattering lives beyond repair.
Through it all, we must pick ourselves up, put the pieces back together and soldier on.
But like time, which is ever on the move and irreversible, some mistakes cannot be corrected – though opportunities for redemption will come by.
Phillip Kundeni Chidavaenzi explores this second shot at life and love for people living with HIV and AIDS in “The Ties that Bind”.
The award-winning author and preacher has crafted yet another thrilling masterpiece, which does not only educate but also cultivates hope among those who have already given up.
With a gripping storyline, this book is romantically charged and swollen with emotion all leading to an explosive climax.
The book is centred on Chiedza Jacha, a young promising chartered accountant who contracts HIV; and the middle-aged successful lawyer Lincoln Mafusa, whose dark past haunts him.
Chiedza vows to never to love again after getting HIV, but Lincoln’s entry threatens to demolish this barricade around her fragile heart.
After the collision of their worlds, thanks to a mutual friend Jackie, the two characters fall for each other. Both have skeletons in their closets and both are hesitant to commit.
“Whenever they were together, they seemed to radiate an easy friendship, like there was telepathic understanding of each other between them,” is what Lincoln muses to himself.
Chiedza feel like Lincoln has opened the door to her soul, a door she thought was eternally sealed.
Lincoln is a deeply spiritual man who believes in God’s endless mercies. On the other hand, Chiedza has no time for a God who allows misery to fill the world.
The supporting characters do well to enrich the narrative.
Chidavaenzi uses flashbacks to brilliantly illuminate the mistakes and life choices that stalk the characters.
This piece of fiction is extraordinarily crafted, with a powerful message that is meant to challenge the way we perceive HIV and people living with the disease.
I found the book to be both enlightening and entertaining.
“The Ties that Bind” is a sequel to Chidavaenzi’s award-winning “The Haunted Trail”, which was published in 2006.
