BOUND TO SECRECY

VAMBA SHERIF

Category: Crime Fiction|African Traditions|Supernatural

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ABOUT BOUND TO SECRECY

ABOUT VAMBA SHERIF

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...

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 >

Website

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 andfilm 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 Witness and The Black Napoleon.

Interview with Vamba

Robtel Neajai Pailey interviews Vamba Sherif for the UK launch of the English translation of his first novel written in Dutch, Land of My Fathers. Full interview >

Press & Media

Vamba Sherif discusses how ‘Historical fictions can douse political tensions’ in his interview for The Nation Online with Edozie Udeze >

REVIEWS

'This is a thought-provoking, beautifully descriptive, almost mystical novel that will sweep you gently away into a world far removed from our own.' Joanna Kennedy, Reviewer, Promoting Crime Fiction Blogspot >

'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 >

'When a Barry Forshaw quote adorns a crime fiction book I tend to sit up and take note – let’s face it, the man knows his stuff – and, for Bound to Secrecy, that quote was ‘An impressive novel’ – which I would agree with entirely.'
Keith B Walters >

‘Beautifully written, this compelling literary crime novel will draw me back for a second reading.'
Crime Blogger Mrs Peabody >

'He succeeds in letting an African detective fail in an African way. And both the story and the failure are grandiose'
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 >

‘Vamba Sherif, whets the appetite for his other work with this impressive novel.’
Barry Forshaw, Crime Time

‘Sherif’s novel is written in a concise, accurate and relentless language…. The writer plays confidently with the classics of world literature.’ Manfred Loimeir, Mannheimer Morgen

‘The irritation and frustrations of the main character create vortices of Shakespearean intensity’
Sabine Vogel, Berliner Zeitung

‘I choose to call Bound to Secrecya '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’
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