Review
John Colman Wood's fieldwork on the Gabra nomads of the Chalbi Desert (see "beyond the book") - particularly his knowledge of their death rites - forms the foundation for the anthropologist's first novel,
The Names of Things.
Like the author, the novel's protagonist (never identified beyond "he") is also an anthropologist who has studied the Gabra. The plot traces his reflections as he returns to the desert looking for solace following the death of his wife from an unnamed disease she contracted in the Kenyan outback. The book is an exploration of grief, love, and the roles ritual and community can play in coping with overwhelming loss.
The Names of Things is a beautifully written book permeated with a sense of sadness and regret, set against the backdrop of the desolate Kenyan landscape. There are two main reasons why I find myself recommending...
Beyond the Book
The Names of Things is set in the Chalbi, a desert in northern Kenya near the border with Ethiopia (marked "A" on the map below).
The Chalbi, which means "bare and salty" in the local language, was once part of Lake Turkana, the largest permanent desert lake in the world. It is an immense flat expanse of clay and white salt stretching approximately 62,000 square miles (100,000 square kilometers), surrounded by volcanoes and ancient lava flows.
Kenya's only true desert, the Chalbi is one of the hottest and most arid regions in the world. The area receives less than five inches of rain in a standard year, but even that is sporadic;...
