The story opens with a scene on a busy road in Durban where a man shoots a number of people, seemingly, at random. As the novel unfolds, we are introduced to Faith, Ruby, Alice and Dr Peggy who are all inextricably linked to each other.

Faith is married to Morgan. Faith is young, a Karoo girl married to a once rich, older man. As their story unravels, we discover that she married him out of love and not for his money. Faith and Morgan move to the Natal Midlands where they find lodging and work on a small cottage on a dairy farm. The work is onerous and Morgan struggles with his new life. His wealthy farming family has disowned him and he is badgered by an embittered ex-wife who continues to call him only to describe the significant events in the lives of their daughters that he is missing out on. Morgan grows considerably depressed until his only solace is an old apple tree where a man hanged himself years before.

Alice is married to Reece. She is an abused wife who wants to remove herself from a toxic and physically dangerous relationship. Fox deftly extends the apple tree motif into this relationship. Reece plants an apple tree in the garden but it dies. He buys a new one but it also seems to struggle.

The apple tree motif is a skilful device for bringing the reader’s attention to the similarities and disparities of the two men, who are both depressed and dangerous to themselves and the ones closest to them. They are the worm inside the apple, eating away at all the goodness that surrounds them. Yet they are unable to see it.

Reece starts an affair with Ruby, an ex-supermodel offered a position at a well-known magazine. Ruby is also Faith’s best friend. Thankfully, the character of Ruby is refreshing. Fox could have burdened (and bored) her readers with a supermodel stereotype, yet she chose to steer away from this and instead brought to the page a character with depth and nuance.

Fox takes the reader on a journey into the lives of the different characters and sets the scene to help us understand the different forces that come into play as well as the conflicts that intensify greatly as the novel comes to its crescendo.

The writing is accomplished and the book lives up to its title as, after a somewhat confusing first chapter, the story unravels to carefully tell the tales of the multiple characters and pieces together the who did it and the why.

Unravelling is Susan Rae Fox’s third novel. I look forward to reading more from this author, who clearly has a talent for empathy and standing squarely in the shoes of others. Unravelling is available at all good book stores nationwide, from www.porcupinepress.co.za and as an eBook from www.amazon.com.