The Silence of the Shadows & Breathless

​Author: Cathy Donald
Publishers: Silence of the Shadows (Kwarts) Breathless (Build Universes)
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
Posed with the question recently, ‘why do we read?’ and ‘why do we read what we read?’ – got me thinking ‘why do we write?’ and ‘why do we write what we write?’
Guru Stephen King says it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. Others have said they write because they can’t not. 

I would imagine this last is certainly the case for Cathy Donald who, despite a role as a medical doctor in both urban and rural settings, in general practice, hospitals and telephonic helplines, has ‘written for as long as she can remember – stories, scripts for plays and musical productions.’
In the last five years she’s written four novels including The Silence of the Shadows (2020) and Breathless (2022), so she’s not been idle in her leisure hours.
In terms of ‘what’ she writes, all her books, she says, ‘celebrate family and friendship and the life-affirming values that mean so much to her.’
There’s much to be said for the practice of writing of as a way of processing your thoughts, experiences – and values. In Shadows Donald weaves together the lives of five very different women living in Cape Town. We find out more about them, their circumstances and relationships – but also about abuse, abusers and the abused.
In Breathless, she offers more from her immediate experience as a medic. It’s a journey through the landscape of Covid through the eyes of frontline healthcare worker Emily. It’s a reminder, in case you’ve forgotten, of how Covid infiltrated its way into our lives, and in this case, loves and losses – as well as hospitals. Along the way we also learn about Covid treatments, medical overload and burn out and the impact of the pandemic on families. All of which Donald must have experienced first- hand. There are some additional reflections on infidelity, apartheid, dealing with adolescents and aged parents. In all, much to be learned in both these books, and with the experience she has why wouldn’t she want to pass it on. I suspect there may be much more to come from the desk of Cathy Donald. And interesting to note that last year, Silence of the Shadows, won the Jury Prize at the Milan International Literary Awards.