11 Jan 2024

The title of the book, Forgive God is certainly intriguing.

It suggests that the book’s author or protagonist may be angry with God or have experienced some kind of trauma or loss that has led them to question their faith.

The book explores themes of redemption, forgiveness, and spirituality, and how they are related to one’s relationship with God.

The title alone is enough to make the reader want to find out more about the story and its characters. The author of the book,  Lebogang Mozela of Ditladi village near Tonota, said the book was targeting young adults and addressed some difficult topics, such as absent fathers and mothers, coping with heartbreak, and the consequences of rape, including unplanned pregnancies, amongst others.

“The book explores these issues in a sensitive and thought-provoking way, providing a space for young adults to reflect on their own experiences and learn from the experiences of the characters in the story. The story may be a difficult read, but it also provides comfort and hope to those who are struggling with similar issues,” said Mozela.

Quizzed on the title of the book, Mozela, who is a final year student at the University of Botswana said the Bible advised people not to be angry with God.

She explained that in her opinion, humans were not able to forgive God. “To forgive God in this case is understanding how God operates, things that He allows and which he himself authored,” she said.

 She said understanding the two would help one to forgive God and that was what the main character, Zena did.

“It is the story of one character, Zena, who managed to express her anger to God,” she added.  Mozela said Zena wernt through a series of difficult experiences and eventually healed and moved on.  Mozela (23), who is an Electronic Engineering student and a devoted Christian, said the story of Zena provided readers with valuable lessons about dealing with difficult emotions and finding hope even in the darkest of times. She explained that when she started writing the book, there were moments where she would stop and wonder whether it was really worth it.

 “My creative juice would run out at times and in anger I would resort to killing some of my favourite characters only to resurrect them again because giving up was simply not an option. She said she had to be brave, and sometimes to be brave meant writing a word and the one after that three days apart.

 “Other times bravery has simply meant closing my laptop and going to sleep, knowing that my limit is bravery too,” she added. 

“I am overwhelmed yet again today. Simply because as I sit here and sign of all these copies to their new owners, I realise that the moment of truth has come. The fact that you will be cradling my book in your arms in just a few hours has my heart dancing,” added Mozela.

She noted that the time human beings spend on this earth was brief, hence they must also be brave. To 19-year-old Zena, life revolved around her parents and so when her father left for Botswana from Zimbabwe that one fateful day, Zena waited in hope for the day that he would return with the greener pastures he went in search of.

The years went by and even her childish love for her father could no longer  blind her to the realities before her. She is catapulted into a world of betrayal from family as well as the one who holds her heart. Zena must now learn what it means to breathe above the water to survive to forgive or rather to stop pointing fingers at God for life’s miseries. The book, published by Poeticblood Publishers, sells at P200 per piece and can be bought from the author. ENDS