Gifts of Unknown Things - Lyall Watson

I finished this book, written in 1976, today, and I must say it was a strange experience.

Gifts of Unknown Things: A True Story of Nature, Healing, and Initiation from Indonesia's Dancing Island as it is fully known, is a sort of true based story

Plot

From his point of view, Lyall tells the story of how he arrived in Indonesia during a shipwreck.  he meets with the local populace, who live under the islam on the one side, but also their old nature ways in the other. 
This results in them having a greater feel for colour, sound and music, as celebrated by dances.  they "hear" colours for example, something western children loose once they go to school.  The story takes us along old traditions, like how a child feels when a beached whale is struggling for it`s life.

Opinion

You can have that, those sorts of books you can`t really put your finger on, and this was one of those books.  This was a voyage that you can imagine vividly in your mind`s eye, yet you can`t say it`s a rollercoaster book.  It`s just a beautifull book and a great tale.

Rating: 7 / 10