Fishermen

Four brothers from the Nigerian city of Akure, left without their father’s supervision (he went to work at the other end of the country), go fishing to a deserted river that has a bad reputation among local people. One day, on their way home, the brothers meet a madman, Abulu, who has the gift of prophecy. People are afraid of Abulu and hate him—his mouth is a source of misfortune, and his tongue is a scorpion’s sting… The madman predicts Ikkenna, the eldest brother, that he will die at the hands of a fisherman—one of the younger brothers. The prophecy fills Ikkenna’s heart with fear, driving him to rush toward his fate, and threatening to destroy the entire family.

In his debut novel, Chigozi Obioma proves himself a brilliant storyteller: his version of the biblical legend of Cain and Abel unfolds across the landscapes of 1990s Nigeria and is told in a delightful, captivating language that echoes African folk tales.