Gerald Hanley (1916–1992)

Hanley worked in Africa until 1938. He returned to Ireland and then served in WW II. In this novel, he attempts to chronicle how the white man exploited the Africans and did not recognize how eventually this would lead to frustration and rebellion. The plantation managers never seemed to except these black men and women as humans with desires and emotions like themselves. When a beloved white man dies, they are surprised to see his house boy break down and cry.

The managers who were single or show more had left wives back home in England, usually acquired a young native girl as a mistress. Most of the characters abuse alcohol to fill in the time and relieve their boredom. All cooking seemed to be done by Africans who were often criticized and abused because they did not know proper cooking methods.

In the novel when the manager used violence to control his workers even though he knew it could lead to trouble and that better pay would have ended the unrest, he does not send a request to London for better working conditions. show less