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The Fishermen

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The Fishermen

By: Chigozie Obioma
Narrated by: Chukwudi Iwuji
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About this listen

Told from the point of view of nine-year-old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, The Fishermen is story of an unforgettable childhood in 1990s Nigeria.

When their father has to work away, the brothers take advantage of his extended absence to skip school and go fishing. At the forbidden nearby river they encounter a madman, who predicts that one of the brothers will kill another. What happens next is an almost mythic event whose impact will transcend the lives and imaginations of both its characters and its readers.

©2015 Chigozie Obioma (P)2015 Hachette Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fishing Africa
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I liked that this story made me feel uneasy.

it's not a feel-good read and the characters actions make you feel uncomfortable. however, I liked that. because it was set in a culture very different from my own and the characters acted within that culture.

it feels like it should be a redemption story but it wasn't in my opinion and maybe the author intended it that way. it was about justice and what that means, how that is achieved, when is it enough to say justice has been fulfilled.

it made me feel uneasy but I liked it

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Set in Nigeria this book sticks in your thoughts and memory. It is a bittersweet tragedy about how a loving family with four sons descends into disaster, Was anyone at fault? Was it that their father was taken away for long periods by his work or was it his excessive discipline, was it fate in the person of the madman Abulu and his disturbing prophesies or was it eldest brother Ikenna secumbing to these prophesies. Oh their poor mother! This is a rich and complex book that you won't forget.

The story has the really interesting backdrop of Nigerian culture, family, modern history and politics. I will be looking to read more by Chigozie Obioma. But, be prepared for some upsetting and harrowing things to happen.

Bittersweet Story of Love and Tragedy

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