“My Brother’s Book”

By Dinilohlanga Mekuto (FJP reporter) 

A passion for writing guides the work of author and journalist,

Jo-Anne Richards (pictured right). She is currently at Wordfest, launching her fourth novel, “My Brother’s Book”, before she returns to her regular job as a journalism lecturer at Wits.  

“This book deals with truth, culture, identity, love and hurt,” said Richards. “Writing novels is like spilling your guts on a notepad and having people look at them.” 

She is so passionate about her writing that she even keeps a pair of pants which she only wears when she is writing her books.

Richards was born in Port Elizabeth and worked for many years as a reporter around the country, before gaining fame as a fiction writer with “The Innocence of Roast Chicken”. 

“My Brother’s Book” took four-and-a-half years to write. Richards says she doesn’t find writing fiction easy because a lot of research goes into her books.  

“I feel guilty when not writing and I get an agonising feeling when I am writing,” she said.

She doesn’t write books to make social commentary or judgements on others as she feels she is not a “serious writer”. People of different cultures and backgrounds can relate to her writings because people are curious by nature and her books explore different characters with different issues.  

“People find it easy to identify with some of my characters,” she said.

Since its release in April My Brother’s Book has sold more than 2 000 copies. She also loves reading and some of her favourite writers are Mordecai Richler and Michael Chabon with her favourite books being “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” and “Joshua Then & Now”. Her previous novels are “The Innocence of Roast Chicken”, “Touching the Lighthouse” and “Sad at the Edges”.

Pic: Dinilohlanga Mekuto