UNITED STATES-BASED Zimbabwean writer Masimba Chakombera has published his second novel, Heaven Hurts, in which he explores how religion fuels many of the abuses that are prevalent in churches.
The new novel describes how sexual abuse, child marriages and psychological manipulation are used to control members in some mainly white-garment churches.
Chakombera told NewsDay Life & Style that although the novel is a fictional account, it is based on the lived experiences of many people whose encounters with the church left them deeply wounded.
“Heaven Hurts was inspired by real and ongoing abuse cases within religious spaces, particularly involving young girls or vulnerable people. I wanted to highlight how faith or religion, if not used correctly, can be a weapon instead of a safe space,” he said.
Chakombera said he used shared experiences, documented cases and narratives on abuse in religious communities to come up with the story.
Although the book may provoke certain religious sects, the author insists his intention is not to crucify any religious organisation, but to critique their operations that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible.
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He described the book, which is now available on Amazon, as “a critique of abuse, manipulation and unchecked authority wherever they exist”.
Chakombera said he wanted his readers to understand that true faith was a force of liberation.
“The book calls for introspection, accountability and reform, not condemnation. My main message is to implore readers to openly question systems that normalise suffering and to recognise the difference between true spirituality and dogma,” he said, adding that true faith was reflected in compassion, truth and human connection.
The novel tells the story of a teenage girl, Muchaneta, who is sexually molested by a church elder and end up pregnant as a result, a development that triggers personal challenges as she is shunned at church and treated like an outsider at home.
Chakombera's debut novel, Victory, was published in 2022.