Riddle Child — Annelie Botes

Alexander is autistic. When he is nine years old he is found dead in a bath of water. The only other person in the house at the time is his mother Ingrid. The circumstances arouse suspicion and the police take Ingrid into custody. Did she murder her child? And who could blame her if she did? She has had nine years of hell with her uncontrollable child, all those she cares about have deserted her, and not even the church has come to her assistance. Her efforts to find help for Alexander have left her bankrupt and she is emotionally and physically depleted. If it were not for Miriam and Gunter, she would surely never have endured the nine years... In this haunting novel Annelie Botes exposes the tragedy of autism and its devastating effect on families. Searingly honest, it brings home the inescapable truth that society can be cruelly indifferent to whatever it perceives to be aberrant.