Items related to Indigo
Synopsis
The principal of an international school in Africa, American widower Jerry Neal becomes involved with a group of Nigerian dissidents planning a coup, a relationship that leads to his transformation into a hunted rebel. 10,000 first printing.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Wiley (Soldiers in Hiding, 1985, etc.) continues to range far afield for his material; here, his subject is the reeducation of an American in Nigeria. Forthright, hard-working and incorruptible, 57-year-old Jerry Neal is the very model of a modern school principal, and his International School is an enclave of calm in the turbulence of Lagos. But Jerry has tunnel vision: the Nigeria beyond his campus is a blur, and his prized collection of Nigerian artwork is mere decor. Wiley uses the mechanism of a political conspiracy to have Jerry really see his habitat. It's late 1983; various military factions are plotting the overthrow of the corrupt civilian government, while a civilian group hopes the military will give their guy--Beany Abubakar, a charismatic populist--a break. Beany's group needs a Western pawn to demonstrate government corruption; they choose Jerry. They set fire to a ministry; Jerry is charged with arson. An American embassy plan to smuggle him out of the country goes awry; Jerry is surrounded by the conspirators, who come clean, appealing to him to stay and stand trial. Especially persuasive is Beany's gorgeous ex-wife Pamela, who almost ends Jerry's five years of celibacy (dating from the death of his beloved wife Charlotte). Jerry lets her drive him out of Lagos to Beany's ancestral village, and we switch from a suspense to a road novel as Jerry looks, listens, and learns: that pidgin English is not inferior to standard English; that juju (voodoo) is a vital component of Nigerian art and culture. He returns to Lagos with a bundle of talismanic artwork, and though Beany is killed in the confusion of the military coup and Jerry resumes his career, inwardly he has been changed for life. Wiley's affection for Nigeria and Nigerians gives his work a buoyancy that compensates for but cannot hide its weaknesses: Jerry's blandness, the contrivance of his immersion in Nigerian culture, and an ending that elevates his cleansed vision above the national tragedy of Beany's death. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Publishers Weekly
In his fourth novel, the author of Soldiers in Hiding (which won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1986) and Three Thousand Maidens shifts his attention from the Far East to Africa. This haunting tale focuses on Jerry Neal, 57-year-old widower and the principal of an international school in Nigeria, caught up in the New Year's Eve 1983 coup that brought an end to civilian rule in Africa's most populous nation. Drawn into a strange conspiracy to avert the impending coup, Neal finds himself framed for arson and murder; forced from the comforts of his daily life, he gradually emerges from the emotional shell he erected after his wife's death from cancer, and begins to see the Nigerians as individuals rather than a people. Though it includes the trappings of a thriller, Wiley's novel recalls Graham Greene's work in its depiction of a Westerner immersed in a foreign culture he only half understands, coming to new self-knowledge as a result. Neal is a particularly satisfying creation, a genuinely decent man who makes the most of the opportunity to change his life. (Simon & Schuster is publishing Marina Warner's novel of the same title, reviewed in this issue)
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDutton Adult
- Publication date1992
- ISBN 10 0525935479
- ISBN 13 9780525935476
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages272
- Rating
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Indigo
Seller: Webster's Bookstore Cafe, Inc., State College, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # mon0000012477
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Published by
E P Dutton, New York, New York, U.S.A., 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Long Island Book Company, Alpharetta, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 1 out of 5 stars
Hard Cover in Dust Jacket. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, First Printing. A nice, tight and clean copy. Minor spotting on book edge and remainder mark. Jacket has brilliant colors and is undamaged. In his fourth novel, the author of Soldiers in Hiding (which won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1986) and Three Thousand Maidens shifts his attention from the Far East to Africa. This haunting tale focuses on Jerry Neal, 57-year-old widower and the principal of an international school in Nigeria, caught up in the New Year's Eve 1983 coup that brought an end to civilian rule in Africa's most populous nation. Drawn into a strange conspiracy to avert the impending coup, Neal finds himself framed for arson and murder; forced from the comforts of his daily life, he gradually emerges from the emotional shell he erected after his wife's death from cancer, and begins to see the Nigerians as individuals rather than a people. Though it includes the trappings of a thriller, Wiley's novel recalls Graham Greene's work in its depiction of a Westerner immersed in a foreign culture he only half understands, coming to new self-knowledge as a result. Neal is a particularly satisfying creation, a genuinely decent man who makes the most of the opportunity to change his life. Seller Inventory # 005282
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Published by
Dutton, NY, 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Old Algonquin Books, Arvada, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First edition. Novel of American teacher in West African country. First printing. Seller Inventory # 8708
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Seller: Rare Reads, Athens, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. First Edition. Slight spine lean, tiny erase marks on half title, but book in a sparkling Fine condition, with an As New dust jacket. Seller Inventory # rh2381
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Published by
E P Dutton, New York, New York, U.S.A., 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Ash Grove Heirloom Books, Pueblo, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Book has a remainder mark to the bottom of the page block. Dust jacket is protected by Brodart cover. Seller Inventory # 004157
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M00525935479-G
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Published by
Dutton Adult, 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Signed
Seller: Books From California, Simi Valley, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Signed. First Edition. First ed. SIGNED by author. Minor shelf wear due to storage. Jacket in mylar, VG. Pages/boards/jacket clean. Seller Inventory # mon0003480580
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Published by
E P Dutton & Co., New York, New York, U.S.A., 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Signed
Seller: Vashon Island Books, Vashon, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Signed by author on title page, 8vo, 262pp. (nick to endpaper, remainder mark). Size: 8vo. Signed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 0750100
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
INDIGO
Published by
Dutton/Penguin, New York, 1992
ISBN 10: 0525935479
ISBN 13: 9780525935476
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: H. W. Gumaer, Bookseller, Canandaigua, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 2 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, First Printing. The award-winning Wiley's fourth novel features Jerry Neal, an American serving as principal of an international school in Lagos, Nigeria. The wife he loved is dead, and his chief satisfaction is his work at the school. He becomes involved with a group of dissidents and is thrown in prison in a government crackdown where his second chance for living and learning begin. A remainder mark on the bottom edge of the text, o/w text and boards are clean and unmarked, tight and square. The dustjacket shows very minor wear at the corners and spine ends, no tears, no chipping or creasing. A collectable copy. Seller Inventory # 004932
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Indigo
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 10-0525935479-G
Quantity: 1 available