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A review by rocioreads_
The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a war story. But it’s not only just a war story.
Having read The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma and falling in love with his storytelling, I couldn’t wait to read his latest release. All I knew was that it was about the Biafran War with a touch of mysticism.
In this novel, we follow the main character Kunle, but through the eyes of a Seer. We are seeing the future, presently. The Seer receives this vision of Kunle as he experiences the horror of the Biafran War, a warning.
Obioma brings the graphic, dense details of the Biafran war to the reader. How quickly a civilian can get tangled up in a war- while simply trying to find his brother. This is where I’d warn, that this may not be for those that don’t like war novels. It can be very detailed in the battles, but Obioma offers more than just a wartime summary. There is depth and exploration in love, guilt, spirituality, colonization and more.
One of my favorite parts in this novel was a scene that allows us to drift away from the war drudgery, into sublime beauty and beautiful storytelling. I wish I could go into more details, but you have to read it to experience it. It was such a literary treat and I hope to see this explored more in future works!
After finishing this book, I was just left with a sense of wanting to hear more and also learn more about the Biafran war. Thankfully, Obioma included some books in his acknowledgments.
I tandem read this with an audio and physical. The audio was very helpful for the pronunciations of Yoruba and Igbo phrases.
Overall, highly recommend for those that are interested in the Biafran War, war stories, or masterful storytelling in general. This book absolutely cemented Obioma as one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to read more!
Having read The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma and falling in love with his storytelling, I couldn’t wait to read his latest release. All I knew was that it was about the Biafran War with a touch of mysticism.
In this novel, we follow the main character Kunle, but through the eyes of a Seer. We are seeing the future, presently. The Seer receives this vision of Kunle as he experiences the horror of the Biafran War, a warning.
Obioma brings the graphic, dense details of the Biafran war to the reader. How quickly a civilian can get tangled up in a war- while simply trying to find his brother. This is where I’d warn, that this may not be for those that don’t like war novels. It can be very detailed in the battles, but Obioma offers more than just a wartime summary. There is depth and exploration in love, guilt, spirituality, colonization and more.
One of my favorite parts in this novel was a scene that allows us to drift away from the war drudgery, into sublime beauty and beautiful storytelling. I wish I could go into more details, but you have to read it to experience it. It was such a literary treat and I hope to see this explored more in future works!
After finishing this book, I was just left with a sense of wanting to hear more and also learn more about the Biafran war. Thankfully, Obioma included some books in his acknowledgments.
I tandem read this with an audio and physical. The audio was very helpful for the pronunciations of Yoruba and Igbo phrases.
Overall, highly recommend for those that are interested in the Biafran War, war stories, or masterful storytelling in general. This book absolutely cemented Obioma as one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to read more!