a blistering critique of the south african medical system, xenophobia, religion and bystander culpability, matlwa weaves in evening primrose a grimly compelling story thats unfortunately a lil too personally triggering for me, and one where the ending imo is too abrupt.

the majority of characters are different and vivid, though sometimes they can be rendered a lil flat and one dimensional. each of them all got different things going on, and while most of them suffer from at least one form of systemic injustice, the intersectionality of their identities make them realistically imperfect, fully capable of doing injustice to others nevertheless. this is esp relevant to the depiction of black south africans who have triumphed over apartheid yet harbor xenophobia that could devastate lives.

problems in the country's medical system are also vividly depicted through the pov of masechaba, whose gradual indifference and desensitization to patients' sufferings - unfortunate effects of a wholly inadequate system - we witness. her feelings towards her god, their oscillation and her shuffling zeal + rejection from the trials she has to endure are effectively illustrated as well. 

i wish, however, that the ending was less abrupt and instead more prolonged to give time for resolution of both internal and external conflicts. it seems strange that the issues, complex thoughts and struggles masechaba harbors throughout most of the book gradually disappear in only a few pgs near the end, all triggered by the arrival of her baby, not to mention my own complicated feelings towards matlwa's utilization of said baby in the book. 

overall, an emotional read that could be further improved by its ending.