"Things Fall Apart" is a novel by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist.
The story is about the
people of Umuofia
on the River Niger, and in particular, Okonkwo, a rich and headstrong elder. He wins respect among his
people, by a magnificent westling-throw when he was 18 years of age, and keeps it by his hard work as a farmer.
One day, by accident, he kills a relative. By custom, Okonkwo is forced to live out of the village for seven years.
Meantime, Christian
missionaries arrive. Since they don't know the language, they speak through interpreters. They also don't know anything about the people's beliefs, fears and hopes.
Then the people experience the arriver of the white commissioners, whose laws destroy the society they have devised to 'civilize' in the first place.
Although the author's approach is straight-forward and blunt, he uses simple scenes and offers a social rather than political thrust to reflect upon in the story. He also calls the attention of the readers to the condition of the people and their lives, inside out. It's heartwarming.