ABOUT THE BOOK
A rich mix of African tradition, classic crime fiction and the supernatural.
Wiiliam Mawolo arrives in a small Liberian town with a secret mission: to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the police chief.
The locals, however - police force and citizens alike - are far from happy about his presence, and their hostility is increasing daily, threatening to boil over. At the same time, Mawolo is drawn to the departed chief's daughter, Makemeh, who for some reason doesn't seem to be too concerned about her missing father.
Intrigued, Mawolo decides to stay longer than required - and even attempts to take charge of the town. Little by little, he has started to behave like the despotic man whose disappearance he came to investigate. His desire to uncover the town’s dark secrets puts him in danger . . . but will his heart rule his head?
Bound To Secrecy is an exploration of power and the fear it generates; and of love in all its magical, addictive forms.
A rich mix of African tradition, classic crime fiction and the supernatural, Bound to Secrecy is a captivating account of the complexities of Liberian society and the inevitable clash between modern life and ancient cultures. Acclaimed author Vamba Sherif brilliantly guides us through – but some mysteries remain...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
VAMBA SHERIF
is an author, journalist and film critic living in the Netherlands. Born in Kolahun, Liberia in 1973, he moved to Kuwait in his early teens where he completed secondary school. At the outbreak of the first Gulf War he left Kuwait to settle first in Damascus, Syria, and then in the Netherlands, where he read Law before becoming a journalist, writer and film critic. His passions include music of every kind, film and the collection of rare books on Africa. His books include:
Land of My Fathers ,
The Kingdom of Sebah ,
The Witnes s
and
The Black Napoleon .
Vamba Sherif on inspiration for Bound to Secrecy
Writer and novelist Vamba in Q&A session with The Liberian Listener discussing his latest title Bound to Secrecy, the state of Liberian literature, travel and writers that inspire him >
REVIEWS
'Sherif is a master storyteller whose multi-linguality is definitely evident in the lyricism of his writing; the translation to English doesn’t lose that quality. He tells stories of Liberia for the Liberian reader, without pandering to or losing his Western readers’ ability to get the culturally specific references in his writing.'
Wayétu Moore, Africa is a Country
>
'With his skillful use of language and incredible depth of thought, Sherif constructs a narrative that is as enthralling for its unrelenting hold on the reader as it is relevant for its message of the uncomfortable dynamics that characterize the imbalance of power in an African setting as remote and as steep in sorcery as his fictional Wologizi.'
Momoh Sekou Dudu, Conversations on Liberia
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Keith B Walters >
Crime Blogger Mrs Peabody >
Dirk Bade, Deutsche Welle
'
Bound to Secrecy
is Sherif’s fourth novel and as a prolific Liberian fiction writer, he may well be single-handedly shouldering the burden to forge a place of acclaim for his country on the international literary scene. When literary commentators wax about a renaissance in African literature, mainstays like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from Nigeria; NoViolet Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenya; Dinaw Mengestu, Ethiopia, to name a few, roll off their tongues, but Sherif’s name deserves no less mention.'
Moco McCaulay, The Liberian Echo
>
'A rich mix of African tradition, classic crime fiction and the supernatural,
Bound to Secrecy is a captivating account of the complexities of Liberian society and the inevitable clash between modern life and ancient cultures.'
Liberian Listener >
Barry Forshaw, Crime Time
Sabine Vogel, Berliner Zeitung
‘I choose to call
Bound to Secrecy a 'great literature', because Vamba Sherif writes in a concise, impressive style; and like all good novelists, he lets his story, his "heroes" live through their actions’
Readme
