''The Other, Darker Ned'' is a 1979 novel written by author

Anne Fine Anne Fine OBE FRSL (born 7 December 1947) is an English writer. Although best known for children's books, she also writes for adults. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and she was appointed an OBE in 2003. Fine has written mor ...

. The story is about a girl called Ione who hears her blind father, Professor Muffet, complaining to his secretary that she only ever 'mopes' and he wishes that she would do something. She then goes to an

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

shop and is shocked when she hears about poverty in India. Ione holds a

jumble sale A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia) or rummage sale (U.S and Canada) is an event at which second hand goods are sold, usually by an institution such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, ...

in the village to buy a bullock for farmers in India who are dying. The title ''The Other, Darker Ned'' refers to the character she sees in her head who has a resemblance of her friend Ned. She becomes so shaken by the image that she decides to stop at nothing to hold the jumble sale. She is extremely successful and manages to buy two bullocks, get Ned, and his girlfriend (Professor Muffet's secretary) to stop quarrelling and fall in love.

References

1979 British novels Novels by Anne Fine Methuen Publishing books {{1970s-novel-stub