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A review by notesbynnenna
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
3.0
Edited 03/02/16 to add my longer review:
The Fishermen is a story about fate and destiny and about the childhood of four brothers living in the small town of Akure, Nigeria. When their father moves to a different city for work, they take advantage of his absence to venture down to the forbidden river and fish. On one of these adventures, they encounter the local madman who tells them a prophecy that will forever change the course of their lives.
Obioma weaves in elements of fable, fairytales, and African proverbs as he chronicles the lives of these four boys. His descriptions are vivid and conjure up images that are both weird and wonderful. He demonstrates how one incident can have a ripple effect on many lives. In addition to the lives of this particular family, Obioma paints a picture of the political and cultural landscape of Nigeria at that time.
Although I thought this was beautifully written, I did feel a certain distance from the characters that prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story. I can't pinpoint if something was lacking for me, or if my expectations when I started the novel were too high. Regardless, Obioma has delivered a very strong debut novel and I'll be looking out for his next work.
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3.5 stars
The Fishermen is a story about fate and destiny and about the childhood of four brothers living in the small town of Akure, Nigeria. When their father moves to a different city for work, they take advantage of his absence to venture down to the forbidden river and fish. On one of these adventures, they encounter the local madman who tells them a prophecy that will forever change the course of their lives.
Obioma weaves in elements of fable, fairytales, and African proverbs as he chronicles the lives of these four boys. His descriptions are vivid and conjure up images that are both weird and wonderful. He demonstrates how one incident can have a ripple effect on many lives. In addition to the lives of this particular family, Obioma paints a picture of the political and cultural landscape of Nigeria at that time.
Although I thought this was beautifully written, I did feel a certain distance from the characters that prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story. I can't pinpoint if something was lacking for me, or if my expectations when I started the novel were too high. Regardless, Obioma has delivered a very strong debut novel and I'll be looking out for his next work.
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3.5 stars