The Looming Fog begins as a story about an
intersexed child raised in Nigeria. The first few chapters detail the horrible
existence that the child faced being unwanted, unloved, and with no real identity. The fact, that the child has no name in these first chapters and is referred to simply as the child or it illustrates the hard realities of this poor individual. As the book progresses, however, the focus and tone of the book gradually changes. The reader starts to gain unique insight into gender roles in
traditional Nigerian culture. By neither being nor not being either gender, the child slowly unravels the complexities of what it means to be a woman or a man. I found this aspect absolutely fascinating. As one would expect, not only does this analysis help the reader understand the traditional Nigerian culture better but it also provides some really important insight into gender roles in general.