Almayer's Folly

What kinds of things do your family members disagree on? Politics, religion, and even which football team to cheer for are some of the things that family members sometimes have to steer around to keep the peace. The Almayer family could not be more different from one another.

Originally published in 1895, "Almayer's Folly" by Joseph Conrad is a story about a family who is impacted by European influence in Southeast Asia.

Kaspar Almayer, the protagonist, is a Dutch trader, who like many of the European settlers in Southeast Asia, maintains a superior attitude toward the indigenous people. Mrs. Almayer, his wife, is Malayan and thinks that white people are corrupt and untrustworthy. Together, they have a daughter, Nina, who is understandably confused about her identity.