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|title=The Fishermen

|sort=Fishermen, The

|publisher=ONE

|date=February 2015

|summary=A beautifully observed account of childhood cut short in 1990s Nigeria.

}}

This book is essentially a cautionary family tale of four brothers and the way they react to a prophecy about them by the local madman. It is also, in a sense, a coming-of-age story where Ben, the young narrator, is plunged into premature adulthood under the most brutal of circumstances. And it is about brotherly love. None of these descriptions, however, convey the fact that this book is written by an exciting new voice in African literary fiction.

The simple plot makes the novel something of a slow burner. You might find the first half less gripping than the second, and at times you might be forgiven for wanting action over imagery and description. But persevere. It is never really a plot-driven story but the writing more than makes up for this and the action, when it does come, is shocking and viscerally sad. Read it slowly, savour the writing, enjoy.

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[[Category:Literary Fiction]]