A missionary in nineteenth-century Africa suffers a chilling crisis of faith in a short story about deliverance, friendship, and metamorphosis by the award-winning author of Riot Baby.
Nathaniel is a well-intentioned, if naive, British cleric feeling blessed to educate a West African village about the benevolent power of God. But as slavers encroach, Nathaniel's endeavour is daunted by the realities unfolding on the beautiful homeland of his congregation. It seems the Devil has power too. What follows for Nathaniel is a profound spiritual upheaval as he questions his purpose and even his humanity.
Tochi Onyebuchi's A Righteous Man is part of Trespass, a collection of wild stories about animal instincts, human folly, and survival from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
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Dear Theresa, It is a habit for some to name every item of flora and fauna they come across.
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(Amazon Original Stories, 24 February 2022, 30 pages, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading)
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This is a new author for me. I've enjoyed the other stories in Trespass so was looking forward to this. The story is structured as a series of increasingly frantic letters from Nathaniel to someone called Theresa. The letters start off full of optimism as Nathaniel looks forward to his new mission but descend into fear and paranoid as darkness comes knocking at his door. This is a powerful tale. I'd recommend it.
