Secret Lives

This collection of Nggs early stories displays his immense skills as a storyteller. He vividly portrays a world of magic and superstition which has not been erased by the white strangers and their new religion. For instance, in The Village Priest, the rainmaker still exerts deep-rooted power, while the priest cannot deal in certainties, nor work miracles to end the drought; and A Meeting in the Dark sees the central character caught in a moral dilemma and ancient tribal customs are shown in conict, and cause tragedy. An accomplished book, remarkably free from rancour.