The Road to the Country
Nigeria

The Road to the Country

by Chigozie Obioma

War & Conflict Historical Fiction Literary Fiction 2024

Summary

Nigeria, 1967. When Kunle Aromire discovers that his younger brother, Tunde, has disappeared into the breakaway territory of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War, he sets out on a desperate mission to find him. Haunted by guilt over a childhood accident that left Tunde disabled, Kunle feels compelled to bring his brother home. But his search takes an unexpected turn when he crosses into Biafran territory and is forcibly conscripted into its army.

Thrown into a conflict he barely understands, Kunle must navigate the brutal realities of warfare while forming unlikely friendships with fellow soldiers. He also encounters Agnes, a courageous woman whose presence challenges his understanding of love, sacrifice, and duty. Alongside the horrors of battle, mystical prophecies shape Kunle’s journey, blurring the boundaries between fate and free will.

Blending historical realism with Igbo folklore and spirituality, The Road to the Country explores brotherhood, guilt, and the devastating human cost of civil war. Through one young man’s search for redemption, Obioma illuminates a pivotal and painful chapter of Nigerian history, asking how people preserve their humanity when their country is torn apart.

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Country
Nigeria
Africa
About the author
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma

Chigozie Obioma is a Nigerian novelist born in 1986 in Akure, Nigeria. He is internationally recognised for fiction that combines Nigerian history and culture with folklore, mythology, and philosophical questions about fate and human responsibility. His debut novel, The Fishermen (2015), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won several awards, including the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. His second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities (2019), was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Obioma’s work has been translated into numerous languages and has established him as a prominent voice in contemporary African literature. The Road to the Country (2024), his third novel, revisits the Nigerian Civil War through the experiences of a young man searching for his missing brother. Alongside his literary career, Obioma has taught creative writing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Georgia.

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Details
Published
2024
Author
Chigozie Obioma