Our publicist Jean Fryer tell us what she thinks:
Rahla Xenopoulos’ debut novel is a beautifully written fictional account of what might have been the life and death of Bubbles Schroeder - the good-time girl with stars in her eyes who met her tragic end in 1949 at the tender age of 18.
The death of Bubbles Schroeder is one of Joburg’s great unsolved crimes and curious researchers (Rahla for one!) still remain fascinated by what little is known about her and the circumstances surrounding her death.
One page into the book and Bubbles transports you back to the 1930s and 40s. From the mining town of Lichtenburg where Bubbles grows up to Vereeniging where she takes her first job and starts to explore her sexuality; and finally to Joburg where she wins the beauty pageant, ‘Miss Joburg Legs’ and is taken under the wing of middle-aged bookie Barry.
He teaches her tricks to beguile a man and introduces her to a social set of wealthy young men who find her captivating. Bubbles wraps her new life around her like a luxurious mink coat and in spite of Barry’s warning to her that she is not one of ‘them’ – she is drawn into the parties, attention and pretty gifts. It feels like her fantasy life is within reach…but tragically, the fantasy that has ignited her spirit for as long as she can remember is ultimately what snuffs it out.
As a reader, you can’t help but root for Bubbles right up until the end of the book, her pluckiness winning over even the most scornful of feminists (who might ordinarily find young girls’ domestic fantasies trivial and frustrating).
In short? Bubbles is a vivid and poignant tale of a naïve girl with big dreams and after reading it you will be left with the lingering scent of Chanel No.5 and the image of 40s Johannesburg in all its glory in your mind.