The River Between is the first novel written and the second novel published by Ngugi wa Thiong'o. He wrote the book in 1965 while studying English at Makerere University, an affiliate of the University of London in Kampala, Uganda. It is the first of a series of books written in English where Ngũgĩ explores the effects of colonialism on African society.
The novel tells the story of a clash between two villages, Makuyu and Kameno, in the Gikuyu region over the white settlers advancement of Christianity and the maintenance of traditional tribal beliefs. Prior to the white man's arrival, the two villages lived in peace. However, the arrival of Christian missionaries causes a drift between...