THE SECOND VERSE

A Black South African teenager navigates mental health challenges as he tries to define his own version of masculinity.

Bokang Damane’s essay on suicide for Ms. Hargreaves’ class—he was assigned to write about “a project to address any social issue”—raises concerns about his mental health and brings him to the attention of deputy principal Mr. Knowles. Bokang defends his argument that “suicide can be used to generate income to solve problems,” which leads to worried intervention by the adults in his life. But his mother is stretched thin between her job and caring for Bokang’s younger siblings, Israel and Sizwekazi. Their lawyer father drinks, gambles, and is frequently absent. Bokang, whose ma is Sotho and tata is Xhosa, self-medicates with weed, which contributes to his nightmares and inspires more entries in his Suicide Manifesto. Bokang’s mental health begins to negatively affect his friendships, and his downward spiral accelerates when he falls for Nokwanda, a neighborhood girl. When she goes to the high school graduation dance at her school with someone else, Bokang ends up in a state of crisis that ultimately leads him to a better understanding of his father and himself. The disjointed character development and pacing unfortunately interfere with this densely packed story’s interesting premise. While Israel and Sizwekazi are sympathetic and engaging characters, the interior lives of the other cast members remain opaque.

An unevenly executed narrative.