During our book club discussion of Things Fall Apart, I learned that this book is generally read as a companion. So when I found it at a used bookstore, I picked it up.

This version had a long introduction, which taught me why they’re frequently paired – Heart of Darkness had been the standard book about African colonization for years, until Achebe said, “this is racist,” but much more powerfully.

There were a few other short stories from Conrad, all with nautical themes. Lots of shipwrecks. Lots of confused identities. Amy Foster was tragic and brutal, and probably stuck with me more than Heart of Darkness.