A rainbow is glimpsed in the enveloping darkness of Mohamed Latiff Mohamed's stories. Precious because it is mostly fleeting-a herd of cattle finds deliverance from slavery in heroic resistance and death; a fisherman disappears of his own free will to escape the disintegration of island life. These and other characters experience conditions, often described in hyper-realistic detail, that speak to our appreciation of change, injustice, and other facts of life-religion, family, friendship, love, to name a few. While salvation does not come easy or even happen in Latiff's stories, there are exceptional moments that can push readers into the outer limits of their existence.