NIGERIA: The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma: A Review

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma (2015, Nigeria)

Obioma's debut novel, set in his home country of Nigeria, centres around four brothers: Ikenna, Boje, Obembe and Ben Agwu, who live in the western town of Akure. Although they live in the Yoruba-speaking part of Nigeria, the brothers, and by extension their parents and two younger siblings, come from an Igbo family. Part of why I began this project of 'reading the world' was to learn about different countries, cultures and stories, so Obioma's description of Akure and the setting of the scene of an Igbo family living in Yorubaland Nigeria is something I found fascinating. 

Through the novel's narrator, nine-year-old Ben, the fourth of the Agwu children and the youngest brother of the titular characters, Obioma is able to make the references to politics, history and culture understandable for all readers, regardless of their background and any existing knowledge they may or may not possess of Nigeria. Juggling plot line and anecdotes, Obioma's debut novel could well be used in schools for two subjects: English Literature or History.

There is a clear methodology to the nomenclature and the style of each chapter. Obioma sets them up almost like a poem. Each chapter's name is repeated at the beginning and towards the end of the given chapter. Twelve of the eighteen chapters are named for animals or are animal-related (e.g. "The Spiders", "The Python", "The Falconer"), two are named for physical geography, one is named after the book itself (and the four main characters) and one references a key part of the plot. Animals are a central theme in the book: they are a fascination held by the young narrator. 

Obioma recently said, in a 2021 interview, that "fiction should say more than one thing". Nothing could be more apparent in his own writing. To avoid spoiling the storyline, Obioma makes you really contemplate on what you believe is "right" and "wrong", and he further explores the ideas of hierarchy (which I understand to be quite pivotal in Nigerian households, for example), as well as relationships in general. For example, Ikenna, the eldest of the four brothers, is esteemed and held in high regard by his three younger siblings. Each of the brothers has a clear role, and it is interesting to see how these develop and change throughout the book.

The Fishermen is the book I read to cover "Nigeria".

Partly thanks to the book, I did fall a bit in love with Nigeria and Nigerian culture. I also recommend: 

Castle & Castle on Netflix

The Cavemen. on Spotify (Highlife music)

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré 

References:

https://lithub.com/chigozie-obioma-i-really-do-believe-that-fiction-should-say-more-than-one-thing/