I have never wanted to throw a book at the wall as I did with Crystabel Chikayi’s debut book, Stillbirth of Love. It reminded me of those horror movies you want to drag a character out of their skull to save them. I found myself occasionally shouting, “Hey, let me out of that abusive marriage!”

The action starts with the first word to the last, tracing how emotions can evolve from lust to hatred. One wonders how people change from being human beings to animals through their actions.

Stillbirth of Love, the debut book by author and businesswoman Crystabel Chikayi, evokes a range of emotions. Driven by a deep passion for storytelling, Chikayi has taken a bold step into publishing with a story that confronts one of society’s most painful realities: domestic violence and the women who remain trapped in abusive relationships long after the love they once knew has been suffocated by fear, control and violence.

An excerpt from the book paints this vividly: Mucha’s plan had failed dismally, in fact, it made everything worse. It could have been lighter a crime if Hlupho had only poked her mother or had only been known for all the abuse he put her through which her family had no proof of. But beating her father! This was a nightmare; he had humiliated her to the last dot. This had to be where she drew the line, having her father admitted at the hospital after being brutally beaten by a son-in-law; Hlupho had really outdone himself this time.

Chikayi takes them directly into the reality of abuse, employing graphic and deeply descriptive storytelling that makes the violence against women and children feel painfully immediate. Her words have the power to make readers angry, uncomfortable and, at times, desperate to shout at the pages.

And perhaps that is precisely the point. Because Stillbirth of Love asks the hardest questions.
Why does a woman stay when she is being beaten?
Why does she return after promising herself she will never go back?
Why does she protect the person hurting her?
Why does she remain silent?
Is leaving an abusive relationship really as easy as outsiders make it sound?

For those looking from the outside, leaving can appear to be the obvious answer. But Chikayi’s storytelling forces readers to confront the complicated realities that often keep women in abusive marriages. There are many excuses among them fear of the unknown, financial dependence, children’s reactions, manipulation, isolation, shame, threats and the psychological grip that abuse can create. Everyone has their own fair of story to share.

“When I wrote this book I was also trying to find answers to the questions and I came up with many answers which are not really enough. I realised that sometimes, the person who is being hurt is also desperately holding on to the hope that the person they fell in love with will return,” Chikayi explained.

The title itself carries a haunting metaphor which suggest that something that was once alive, and had the potential to grow and flourish, but its life was lost before it could fully become what it was meant to be.
Chikayi writes with the courage to expose what many would rather keep behind closed doors. Through her characters and their experiences, she brings readers face-to-face with the devastating consequences of violence—not only on women, but also on children who witness, endure or grow up within environments where violence becomes part of everyday life.

“Our culture romanticises suffering and makes the woman feel as if it’s normal to go through affliction in marriage. With statements like musha mukadzi meaning women should be resilient as they are the foundation of a home and that also means they should be resilient towards abuse. Culture suggest that a woman must keep sacrificing herself to save a marriage,” Chikayi highlighted the plight of some marriages pitying them against the abusers.

The book powerfully reminds us that love is beautiful but it should never come with a cost to one’s voice, identity, and safety. Perhaps the most powerful message emerging from Stillbirth of Love is that breaking the silence can be the beginning of reclaiming one’s life.

“Some relationships don’t end because love was never there. They end because abuse suffocated it. Breaking the silence can be the first step toward bringing yourself back to life,” was the ultimate lesson Chikayo wanted people to take away from the book.

For Chikayi, this debut novel marks more than the publication of a book. It represents a willingness to use storytelling as a mirror that reflects a reality many families know but few are willing to discuss openly.