The Fishermen – Chigozie Obioma

Blurb:
In a small town in western Nigeria, four young brothers take advantage of their strict father’s absence from home to go fishing at a forbidden local river. They encounter a dangerous local madman who predicts that the oldest boy will be killed by one of his brothers. This prophecy unleashes a tragic chain of events of almost mythic proportions.

My Thoughts:
This is really an interesting book that makes you think about how one small statement can change the course of your life.

In this book, we follow four brothers as they go fishing in a river that they are forbidden to go to, but with their strict father gone, they hide their activities from their mother. One day when they are there they come across the local madman who predicts that the oldest brother will be killed by one of his brothers.

After this prediction things start to fall apart. Ben, who is the narrator of the book, starts to see his older brother’s descent into paranoia. He no longer trusts his brothers and is paranoid that one of them will kill him.

I think this book is so beautifully written and really shows people’s emotions when they are scared and worried. I think Obioma has done an excellent job of this.

What really sticks out to me in this book is the description of a funeral, the detail and the emotion that went into it were absolutely stunning.

I want to say so much but don’t want to give away any spoilers for people who may want to pick it up, but I definitely recommend this book and stick with it!