The Fishermen

The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma
Reviewed by Jack
📕📗📘📙

Since I picked up my very first Khaled Hosseini novel I haven’t stopped trying to read as many books as humanly possible from cultures other than my own. This mission has now lead me to Chigozie Obioma’s debut novel The Fishermen. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015, it tells the story of four brothers in a small Nigerian village who become the subjects of a deadly prophecy told by the local madman. The thing that really struck me about this book was Obioma’s ability to tell this story through the eyes of a child with the enchanting innocence of childhood and yet with the insight of an adult eye recalling the troubled times of our protagonists youth. Seeped in folklore and beautiful description of his native Nigeria Obioma whisks you away to sun soaked Africa and this book had me hooked from the off.