One of my favorite things about reading is that a good book can take you to another place and time; If you want to go to Africa then this is one of the best books to take you there. Things Fall Apart is set in the fictional village of Umuofia in the time period shortly before the author's birth. In the book a long line of tribal life is about to be changed forever by the introduction of British Colonialism and Christian missionaries. Knowing this going in I was surprised at how long the author waits to introduce the foreign element. Achebe spends most of the book painting an unsentimental picture of African tribal life, makes the reader see, makes the reader care, and then finishes the book with a powerful sequence of events.

The main character is Okonkwo, a prosperous and well respected man in his village. Okonkwo is almost a perfect contrast with his father, who though friendly and gentle was disinclined to hard work and lived his life in heavy debt to his neighbors. Such a man is scorned by society in general, and Okonkwo lives his life trying to distance himself from his now deceased father. He is ruled by the fear of being perceived as weak, of being like his father. This fear drives him to be a great farmer and warrior, but also a man who beats and bullies his wife and children. Even when Okonkwo is moved by feelings of concern or tenderness he still hides behind the perception he has worked so hard to create for himself. Okonkwo is especially hard on his oldest son Akoye, in whom he sees some resemblance to his own father.

As with Okonkwo the author refrains from depicting an overly sympathetic view of the village life, though it is something near to his heart. You see the good with the tightly knit community, established way of life and devotion to family and kin, but you also see the negative aspects. The village religion decrees that twins are evil and must be left in the forest to die, for instance.

Okonkwo is understandably caught up in village life as he seeks respect and success. The author masterfully contrasts father and son again in a scene in which Akoye is deeply affected when he hears the cry of an abandoned baby as he walks by the forest.

The first Christian missionary to come to Umuofia takes pains to understand the local ways and earns the respect of many as he establishes a little church. Some are concerned about the new religion, some of those ostracized from society find new hope, and many dismiss it as an oddity. Akoye finds in it the answer to the twins crying in the woods, and is permanently separated from his father. As a lesser missionary takes over the church in Umuofia and the government and new economics introduced by the British further erode the village way of life the book draws to it's close.

A very well written and memorable book.