Exploring truth and reconciliation through fiction: Dr Berend Mets unveils his latest novel

DR BEREND Mets, an internationally acclaimed author and celebrated medical professional, dives deep into his latest novel, Truth & Conciliation, an exploration of forgiveness against the backdrop of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings.

- ANITA NKONKI

Known for his previous acclaimed work, Immorality Act, Mets builds on his profound understanding of the complex narratives woven through South Africa's history.

He shares that the novel is set in Cape Town in 1996, and follows an Afrikaans doctor navigating his request for amnesty concerning his participation in apartheid-era atrocities. Initially a quest for legal redemption, his plea evolves into a deeply introspective reckoning when he encounters Detective Thembisa Dlamini, a determined Xhosa police officer who compels him to confront his past.

In Truth & Conciliation, Mets says he aims to convey a powerful message about forgiveness, articulated through the relationships depicted in the story.

"I hope it will be widely read and acknowledged as what it is trying to send: a message of the power of forgiveness but also, in the end, a sense of hope. And there are two relationships running through this book and their ultimate message of hope, of course, reconciliation. And so that is what I want to leave the reader with," he shares.