Stern Gods is a powerful coming-of-age novel set in 1980 apartheid South Africa, during a turbulent State of Emergency. Eleven-year-old Kaathi Reddy lives in a cramped council house in the Indian township of Bombayville, navigating the harsh realities of poverty, patriarchy and systemic violence. Clever and spirited, Kaathi finds joy in school and her friendships with Zainub and Losh, but her world is also shaped by silence and suffering: an abusive uncle, a volatile home and the rigid expectations of her Hindu upbringing. When Losh is raped and silenced by her family, Kaathi’s attempt to seek justice sparks a chain of events that leads to devastating consequences, including the loss of her father. Despite the sorrow, this quietly devastating novel captures a girl’s resilience as she begins to piece herself back together. Unflinching, lyrical and deeply empathetic, Stern Gods offers a haunting portrait of girlhood and survival in a fractured world.