The Fishermen Audiobook By Chigozie Obioma cover art

The Fishermen

A Novel

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The Fishermen

By: Chigozie Obioma
Narrated by: Chukwudi Iwuji
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In this striking novel about an unforgettable childhood, four Nigerian brothers encounter a madman whose mystic prophecy of violence threatens the core of their close-knit family

Told by nine-year-old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, The Fishermen is the Cain and Abel-esque story of a childhood in Nigeria, in the small town of Akure. When their father has to travel to a distant city for work, the brothers take advantage of his absence to skip school and go fishing. At the forbidden nearby river, they meet a 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 the book's characters and readers.

Dazzling and viscerally powerful, The Fisherman is an essential novel about Africa, seen through the prism of one family's destiny.

Accolades & Awards

Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2015
Family Life Los Angeles Times Book Prize Literary Fiction Thought-Provoking Coming of Age World Literature Genre Fiction Tearjerking Historical Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Scary Feel-Good

Critic reviews

Winner of the 2016 Los Angeles Times Book Prize (The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction)

Winner of the 2016 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work (Debut Author)

Winner of the 2015 FT/Oppenheimer Emerging Voices Award for Fiction

Finalist for the 2015 Man Booker Prize

Finalist for the 2015 Guardian First Book Award

Finalist for the 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

Longlisted for the 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize

Longlisted for the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature

Named a Best Book of the Year on more than a dozen lists, including the New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and NPR

"Entrancing.... Its rising tension and poetic grace make this one of the finest novels to come from Africa in years."--Wall Street Journal "Best Books of 2015"

"In its exploration of the murderous and the mysterious, the mind's terrors and a vibrant Africa, this debut novel is heir to Chinua Achebe."--New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice

"Engrossing.... [Obioma's] language is rich and hypnotic, and nearly every page is filled with an unexpected and perfectly rendered description.... This is a dark and beautiful book by a writer with seemingly endless promise."--Michael Schaub, NPR

"The most frustrating thing about THE FISHERMEN is that the author has no other books for the reader to devour once the final page is reached."--Trine Tsouderos, Chicago Tribune

Featured Article: The Best British Narrators


If you're looking for an audiobook in an accent, check out these listens from our favorite British narrators. Authenticity is something many listeners value in their audiobook experiences, and that often boils down to narration style and accents. Although so many audiobooks are narrated by many talented actors with wide ranges, sometimes it's just nice to listen to an audiobook performed by someone in their native accent. If you're searching for the best British narrators, look no further. We’ve done the tough job of picking just ten of our favorite British narrators that you'll love listening to.

Featured Article The Best British Narrators
Masterful Storytelling • Elegant Writing • Excellent Narration • Exquisite Language • Creative Metaphors

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the most unusual and creative writing I've read. writing like speaking only better. very colorful , every word like watching different colored threads moving through weaving machine. as moving and sometimes depressing as Precious yet satisfying and delightful to immerse one's self in. this book makes me want to find more African authors.

really paints a picture with his words

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Wow! This is a deep and powerful story made even better by the outstanding narration. I couldn’t stop listening because I had to know what happened to the brothers.

Love2Read97

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Chapter after chapter, this story left little but deep incisions in my heart, but in the same spot, so that the wound got deeper and more painful as I listened on.

Until the last chapter when, emotionally battered, physically tired and needing to lie down to continue, ChigoIe mercifully let my bloodied heart start to heal.

This one touched my soul.

I'm grateful it's fiction

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I could not put this down. There are so many lessons to be learned in this story. So much about it was relatable. Two thumbs up.

A very compelling read

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I couldn’t stop listening. The reader is fantastic. He brought the characters to life for me. The author describes scenarios so amazingly. If you like a straight forward story, the way this one is told might be frustrating but I think it’s what made it such a great project of literature. The story took so many twists and turns that left me gasping trying to figure out how I didn’t see things coming. You learn so much about African culture. I look forward to listening to his other book.

Incredibly Written - Had me gasping constantly

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