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What would you like to read in June?
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Denise
(last edited May 18, 2016 07:00AM)
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May 18, 2016 06:59AM
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The Fishermen: A Novel
In a Nigerian town in the mid 1990's, four brothers encounter a madman whose mystic prophecy of violence threatens the core of their close-knit family. Told from the point of view of nine year old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, The Fishermen is the story of an unforgettable childhood in 1990s Nigeria, in the small town of Akure. When their strict father has to travel to a distant city for work, the brothers take advantage of his extended absence to skip school and go fishing. At the ominous, forbidden nearby river, they meet a dangerous local madman who persuades the oldest of the boys that he is destined to be killed by one of his siblings. What happens next is an almost mythic event whose impact-both tragic and redemptive-will transcend the lives and imaginations of its characters and its readers. Dazzling and viscerally powerful, The Fishermen never leaves Akure but the story it tells has enormous universal appeal. Seen through the prism of one family's destiny, this is an essential novel about Africa with all of its contradictions—economic, political, and religious—and the epic beauty of its own culture. With this bold debut, Chigozie Obioma emerges as one of the most original new voices of modern African literature, echoing its older generation's masterful storytelling with a contemporary fearlessness and purpose.
Would love to hear your thoughts on that one. I finished it last month
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I finished it last month"
Ok. What is your overall feeling about the book?
I really had mixed feelings about it. Definitely wasn't a "feel-good" story in any way. I'm still waiting for someone to write/recommend another novel set in Africa that doesn't haunt me. So far, Americanah has been the only one that fit that description
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Oh ok. Which one of her books would you recommend?
I have read The Fisherman also.I thought the language was very lyrical and definitely elevated the storyline.
Lindor wrote: "I really had mixed feelings about it. Definitely wasn't a "feel-good" story in any way. I'm still waiting for someone to write/recommend another novel set in Africa that doesn't haunt me. So far, A..."I will think on your request a book set in Africa. I do read a lot of books set in Africa/written by African writers - so will search my memory.
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I look forward to seeing your recommendation also.
Denise wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Lindor wrote: "I really had mixed feelings about it. Definitely wasn't a "feel-good" story in any way. I'm still waiting for someone to write/recommend another novel set in Africa t..."Yes, a lot of African books that get published by US publisher often are seem to fit a certain profile. But the good news there are more books published in Africa that fit the profile of what you are possibly looking for and in this more global reading world more of these books will make it here to the US.
Not exactly sure what you are looking for, but here are a couple of recommendations:
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
The Hairdresser of Harare: A Novel
Mr. and Mrs. Doctor
Aya - the are a number of graphic books in this series
Coconut
Powder Necklace: A Novel
Ghana Must Go
Foreign Gods, Inc.
Beverly wrote: "I have read The Fisherman also.I thought the language was very lyrical and definitely elevated the storyline."
Thank you. I'll check some of these out. I've really enjoyed Chimamanda's Adichie's novel's also.
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Thanks
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Ghana Must Go
Kweku Sai is dead. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, Ghana Must Go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent.
Moving with great elegance through time and place, Ghana Must Go charts the Sais’ circuitous journey to one another. In the wake of Kweku’s death, his children gather in Ghana at their enigmatic mother’s new home. The eldest son and his wife; the mysterious, beautiful twins; the baby sister, now a young woman: each carries secrets of his own. What is revealed in their coming together is the story of how they came apart: the hearts broken, the lies told, the crimes committed in the name of love. Splintered, alone, each navigates his pain, believing that what has been lost can never be recovered—until, in Ghana, a new way forward, a new family, begins to emerge.
Ghana Must Go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from Accra to Lagos to London to New York, Ghana Must Go teaches that the truths we speak can heal the wounds we hide.
I just joined this group and wanted to say hello. Looking forward to participating. C:)
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Welcome to the group. I look forward to discussing our future reads with you.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Fishermen (other topics)Ghana Must Go (other topics)
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives (other topics)
The Hairdresser of Harare (other topics)
Mr. and Mrs. Doctor (other topics)
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