The Nga’phandileh Whisperer - A Review
It is often said when studying a new language that students should not try to translate every word they hear in conversation, which can be overwhelming. Instead, it is advised that one should go for general meanings in the non-native language, thereby achieving an understanding of what is being spoken. This suggestion may be useful when reading Eugen Bacon’s THE NGA’PHANDILER WHISPERER, which is written in the language of poetry, though it is listed as a novella.
THE NGA’PHANDILER WHISPERER is part coming of age narrative, part alien world exploration, as readers follow the enlightenment of the central character, Chant’L. She lives in a world that is not Earth, but does have an African feel to it, as the author, Eugen Bacon, was born in Tanzania. Chant’L is tasked to join the Guardians, who, according to the pre-Prologue, “use special prayer to secure a part of the Hakkri Hile Halah, the bounding wall protecting the federation of planets from the Nga’phandileh.”
What exactly are the Nga’phandileh? There are legends of what they are and the destruction they wrought once upon a time, but Chant’L has never seen one of these beings considered to be unreality. Part of her narrative journey to enlightenment is to come to understand this unreality taught to be feared yet whose existence is a mystery.
THE NGA’PHANDILER WHISPERER is written largely in metaphorical language. The opening of the novella is like a wall of descripton and metaphor, but the language does become more prosaic after several chapters. One of the aspects that is really unique about this speculative fiction narrative is that it is distinctly written from an African perspective. The African speculative fiction canon is still not widely distributed or discussed, so every publishing author in that genre is contributing to the seeding of these strange worlds in the public’s consciousness.
If readers simply go along with the flow of the novella’s narrative, they will find that meanings manifest. Like poetry, one should not try to “get” THE NGA’PHANDILER WHISPERER “right”. Glean an idea of Chant’L, of her mother and father, of the Guardians, of the Nga’phandiler, of the world they all exist in. Seeing the novella’s narrative universe as a foreign locale which cannot be immediately grasped, but can be emotionally experienced, is part of the brilliance of Eugen Bacon’s writing. At only about a 160 pages, it is a quick read, an adventure that takes readers along the tribulations of the young heroine who must deal with her own expectations, her failings, her love gained and lost, and a discovery of herself no matter how others try to define her.
More than anything, THE NGA’PHANDILER WHISPERER is a work of art, and should be approached as such when read.
