Published in 1969, Essential Encounters is the first novel by a woman of sub-Saharan francophone Africa. Therese Kuoh-Moukoury, of Cameroon, wrote it "to inspire other women to write." Its
story of love, infertility, a failed marriage, and adultery looks at both interpersonal connections and national politics from a feminist perspective. The novel deals with the painful
transition in Cameroon from rural matriarchal traditions to contemporary urban society.
In the introduction the volume editor, Cheryl Toman, provides valuable background with a discussion of African matriarchy, past and present; ethnic groups in Cameroon; interracial
relationships; and polygamy as it affects women's roles in the family and their interaction with one another.
