Robert Milton

Hole in the Soul Robert Milton

Hole in the Soul- considered by some as a psychological study of pathology origins-is the story of three culturally distinct lives crossing in Post-Colonial East Africa. Their interactions reveal how traumatic childhood losses impact adult relationships. Lillian, the youngest daughter of 'Captain', (a well-ensconced, manipulative member of the colonial landed gentry in Kenya) finds her provincial existence empty, in spite of her storybook life. Kibi, the storyteller, grows to become a savvy Masai gentleman. He is confused about his place in the changing scheme of things. He becomes Lillian's constant companion and sentinel. Post-adolescence, he discovers he is a member of the Kenya political intelligencia, and attracted to men. Jacob-ostensibly banished from the Israeli army-arrives in Kenya and upends the outwardly respectable life of the anti-Semitic father of Lillian. Both Kibi and Lillian compete for a sexual liaison with Jacob. The 'Captain's' bigotry only serves as a stimulus for the scrappy Jacob. But pursuit, not occupation, is his objective. Colonialism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and African activism become filters through which they must sift and interpret their inability to find wholeness. Traumatized personalities and deeply buried family secrets help to explain why Lillian rejects Jacob yet opts to have his child and why her father would rather destroy than forgive them.