Wonderful examination of the roles of individuality and community within a culture. As striking as Kundera the first time I read him. ( )

Pouliuli means darkness. The darkness of traditions and its learning, and its juxtaposition against the confined or bookish learning ends up in clashes. The mechanism adopted by the lead character (that of throwing out) is showing repulsion. The myth related to Pili (lizard) is very telling: Pili's leap into darkness and never to reappear has a parallel to some incidents happening in this novel. Wendt is trying to produce a major tragic feagure (76 year old Osovae: holder of matai title Faleasa) here and also important in the novel are some historical allusions to Samoan chronology. Faleaasa discovers what does it imply when one becomes mad. One is ignored, is left unloved and that person looses control over his community. I find the narratives very complicated and the plot very intense. Literary style is good but too much of culturally enthused narrations mar the beauty.