Wowed by the lights and prospects of city life, Loveness leaves her small mining town in search of a new life in Harare. She imagines herself falling for a hot-shot city man becoming his wife and spending her life in luxury while tending to her city childr en. The man she considers the love of her life is anything but a hot shot, and he is abusive and uncaring. To top all this off, he his HIV positive. Loveness is at a crossroads. She must consider her choices. Although, Waste Not Your Tears does not shy awa y from misfortune, it is also a novel of forgiveness and hope. Loveness is an unlikely heroine on a stage set during the crisis of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. She lives, however, amongst us, and reading this sensitive and thoughtful novel provides insights into the challenges of making the wrong choices, but having the strength to move forward.