It’s the 20th century and Virginia Woolf is invited to speak to a roomful of young writers at a few colleges. She left the room and society at large perplexed with the thoughts she raised. Would Shakespeare’s sisters be given the same room to flourish if she had his skill sets? Can a women flourish if given the physical space to be by herself and ideate? Can a woman find a professional identity if not infrastructurally empowered? As a society do we allow this?

This book, although a work of fiction with a fictitious narrator and setting, is inspired by the lectures delivered by Woolf. As a revolutionary work, it remains poignant and relevant even today as we seemingly progress to an equal society but struggle with conditionings of gender roles. Despite its heavy subject, it’s an enjoyable, funny, sarcastic, and sensitive read; like a conversation with a dear friend.

“One can’t live with one’s finger everlastingly on one’s pulse.”

Charles Marlow, an English seaman, is an ivory trader on the Congo River in Central Africa. The story is a narration of his experiences as he journeys up the river in search of another trader named Mr. Kurtz.

As Marlow sails into the heart of Africa, he his horrified and confused by the brutalities he sees displayed at the hands of the traders; the torture, slavery and horror that is part of every-day life in that part of the world.

What happens when Marlow finally meets Kurtz? Will he question all of his assumptions and beliefs about civilization and human nature?

It’s a journey into the power struggle and dark truths of European Colonialism, displaying the blatant horrors human suppression. An evocative, thought-provoking book, forcing the reader to seek answers to the harsh realities of civilised life.