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We Are Not Such Things

A Murder in a South African Township and the Search for Truth and Reconciliation

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 A ‘MAKING A MURDERER’ set in South Africa – a gripping true-crime story of murder and the justice system in the shadow of apartheid

‘Gripping, explosive . . . crafts a close sense of place that rivals the work of Katherine Boo’ New York Times

In 1993, in the final, fiery days of apartheid, a 26-year-old white American activist called Amy Biehl was murdered by a group of young black men in a township near Cape Town. Four men were tried and convicted of the murder and sentenced to eighteen years in prison. A few years later they had been freed. Two of the men were subsequently employed by Amy’s parents to work at a charity set up in her memory. The men grew close to the Biehls. They called them ‘Grandmother’ and ‘Grandfather’.

Justine van der Leun, an American writer living in South Africa, set out to tell this twenty-year story, but as she delved into the case, the prevailing narrative started to unravel. Why didn’t the eyewitness reports agree on who killed Amy Biehl? Were the men convicted of the crime actually responsible? And could it be that another violent crime committed on the same day, in the very same area, was connected to the murder of Amy Biehl?

‘Beautifully written and carefully observed …a Truman Capote-style detective story in which Van der Leun rummages for clues through the detritus of modern South Africa’ Financial Times

‘Deeply researched and thought-provoking . . . an engaging take on a murder that might have derailed democracy’ Economist

Africa Colonialism & Post-Colonialism Crime Murder Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences True Crime Exciting Discrimination

Critic reviews

‘Gripping, explosive . . . crafts a close sense of place that rivals the work of Katherine Boo’ New York Times

‘Beautifully written and carefully observed … a Truman Capote-style detective story in which Van der Leun rummages for clues through the detritus of modern South Africa’ Financial Times

‘A total page-turner, a gripping Serial-like true-crime story’ Vogue

‘Deeply researched and thought-provoking . . . an engaging take on a murder that might have derailed democracy’ Economist

'Unforgettable. A gripping narrative that examines the messiness of truth, the illusory nature of reconciliation, the all too often false promise of justice' Boston Globe

‘Extraordinary. A dense and nuanced portrait of a country whose confounding, convoluted past is never quite history’ Entertainment Weekly

‘Moving . . . necessary . . . A story of frustrated expectations, broken dreams, endemic greed and corruption, but also indomitable human spirit’ Minneapolis Star Tribune

‘A murder story told with the dramatic tension of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and the precision of the very best non-fiction reporting. Each page bursts with fresh insights’ Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy

‘Fascinating. Shatters convenient narratives about the end of apartheid and the nature of justice, and takes readers on a headlong chase for deeper truths’ Jill Leovy, author of Ghettoside

‘Suspenseful and engrossing. Van der Leun shows how a powerful desire for reconciliation can in fact obscure the truth, a truth we need in order to establish real equity and the justice that all people deserve’ Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black

‘A book I kept returning to. Van der Leun has a compassionate but admirably clear eye’ Michela Wrong, Spectator Books of the Year
All stars
Most relevant
This is not a perfect book but is certainly an interesting outside perspective on modern South African society, told through the lens of the Amy Biehl story. This is not a white saviour or white victim story but a genuine attempt at explaining the complexities of a very violent, unequal and racially divided society where incidents of violence and unrest are still far too common today.

My only big gripe is with the narrator who cannot for her life pronounce a single South African word correctly. I don’t expect to hear the click in Xhosa but it certainly is not pronounced like ‘go sa’. Some other ones were outright bizare as well. ‘Gevaar’ pronounced like ‘he fa’. If you don’t know how to say it, just do it in phonetic English, not pure guesswork. In a world where you can find out almost anything online, it’s baffling how poor this is. It’s unfortunately very common with SA titles on audible. Please try to do better.

Essential reading for those interested in SA

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This is interesting - a foreigner's view of SA, and it is revealing. I enjoyed it. The narrator is great BUT she doesn't know how to say any of the local words, and for me this spoilt the book. Audible, you really ought not to get someone who knows these words to read this kind of book. This narrator will do a great job of English and American books - but not South African books

Pretty Good

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I am infuriated by this book. The author is here to report on a crime committed on a white American Amy Biel on the cusp of freedom for South Africa. But in the end this books ends up documenting the lives of dispossessed Africans still afflicted by the Whites who stole their land, their future and their present. The author befriended them only to steal their narrative for her financial gain. When will this exploitation stop. How much money will the Africans who participated in this book get from the proceeds of this book. It would have been possible to write about Amy Biel's murder without encroaching on these poor people's lives. Do the right thing and donate the proceeds to these poor people who I am sure did not give you permission to publicises their lives.

Exploitation of Africans by a Western

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