Confessions of a Gambler Author:Rayda Jacobs Rayda Jacobs' enthralling portrait of contemporary Muslim life in one of the world's most dynamic and dangerous cities is delivered through the eyes of Abeeda, a single mother in her late forties who is leading a double life. To her community in Cape Town, she is a pious Muslim mother of four, coping with the death of one of her sons to AIDS... more ». But Abeeda has succumbed to a gambling addiction, winning and losing huge amounts of money amid the glittering lights of the local casinos. As her secret vice leads her into a shadow world of sin, lies, and life-threatening stakes, Abeeda's identity as the very picture of Muslim womanhood gives way to an unforgettable portrait of a woman haunted by the memory of past desires and a life-long love affair with risk.Confessions of a Gambler has won multiple international awards, including The Sunday Times fiction award, South Africa's premier prize for fiction. As timely as it is universal, this powerful novel animates the conflict between modernity and tradition in a society in which, when it comes to judging women who stray from the narrow paths laid out for them, all bets are off.« less