The story is an indictment of the contemporary religious leaders who are wolves in the sheep's skin. Employing intertexuality that is history and the bible, the author portrays Pastor Aluta in Gaza rather than Nazareth. The Israelites gave up Gaza to the Arabs for the sake of unilateral peace. However, the Arabs are still demanding for Judea and Samaria. Like them the pastor is obsessed with money, material possession and women. No wonder, he meets his tragic end like the biblical Samson.

Good one over there

The Nazarite at Gaza is a prolific piece of art that criticize religious hypocrisy. The author Andrew Nyongesa employs Biblical allusion of Samson the legend that later ends at Gaza as a slave after falling in the traps of the beautiful Delilah. Just like Samson, Pastor Aluta Akinyinyi blindly matches into the trap of the beautiful, brown and juicy Mme Victorine Mahfouz. This makes him to have a tragic end of walking from a Jack on the podium into a social midget as the author puts it. This masterpiece is best for the current flock as it addresses the current religious conundrum of molestations by men of the cloth to members and non members of the church. Some are caught drunk like village brewers.

The moment Poverty pushes the man of God to see money as the only solution to his problems or rather as the only blessing; tragedy abounds, thanks to his vulnerability! Mr. Nyongesa has also portrayed the fact that Marriage today has ceased being a covenant and instead, it has become a commercialized entity: a contract of convenience! An interesting read indeed!

And those with ears would listen and heed to advise. The story captures a reality we are yet to embrace.

A gripping tale of love in the 'Nairobi half-life' where the young whose faith is grounded on the delusion of good life without hard work soon fall into fatal traps.