Join Musih Tedji Xaviere and Troy Onyango, as they discuss These Letters End in Tears, a heart-wrenching story of forbidden love, set in Cameroon where same sex relationships are punishable by law.

Bessem notices Fatima playing soccer, the only woman on the field. As their eyes meet for the first time, Bessem knows life will never be the same. In a society where the odds are already heavily stacked against them, differing religious backgrounds are yet another barrier. When Fatima’s older brother discovers the truth about his sister’s relationship, he takes matters into his own hands with terrible consequences. After spending days in jail, Fatima disappears without a trace and Bessem is left helpless and confused. Has she been transferred to a different prison? Been banished or married off? Or is the truth something even more sinister… Bessem spends years searching for Fatima, writing letters which never get sent in a futile attempt to keep their love alive the only way she knows how.

This stunning debut takes the reader on a journey through time and space, immersing us in a world we may never have known. It is a tale of strength, of sadness and of our endless capacity for love.

About the author

Musih Tedji Xaviere. Photo credit: Caleb Kusi. Pontas Agency

Musih Tedji Xaviere is a Cameroonian author and activist, and an alumna of the Goethe-Institut, the Moth and the African Women Development. She is the winner of the Pontas and JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize. These Letters End in Tears is her debut novel.

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