The Economist has named The Road To The Country by Chigozie Obioma as one of the Best Books of the year 2024.
Set in Nigeria in the late 1960s, The Road to the Country is an epic story of a shy, bookish student haunted by long-held guilt who must go to war to free himself. When his younger brother disappears as the country explodes into civil war, Kunle must set out on an impossible rescue mission.
Kunle’s search for his brother becomes a journey of atonement that sees him conscripted into the breakaway Biafran army, forced to fight a war he hardly understands, and navigating the cryptic prophecies of a local Seer, who marks Kunle as an abami eda—“one who will die and return to life.”
The Economist’s recognition of the novel is the latest in a series of accolades for this powerful work. In its review, The New York Times described the book as:
“A sweeping, heart-racing, mystical novel about a university student in Lagos trying to save his brother, and himself, amid the chaos of Nigeria’s civil war—a story of love, friendship, and personal triumph by the two-time Booker Prize finalist and “the heir to Chinua Achebe”
The Guardian similarly lauded the novel, stating that it “gives a voice to the victims of the Nigerian civil war” while blending mystical elements with historical depth.
Chigozie Obioma is no stranger to literary acclaim. A Nigerian writer celebrated for his novels The Fishermen (2015) and An Orchestra of Minorities (2019)—both Booker Prize finalists—his works have been translated into more than 30 languages. The Road to the Country is his third novel, published in 2024, and already stands as a monumental contribution to African literature.
This recognition is particularly significant as it places a Nigerian story and its harrowing history on a global stage, continuing the legacy of works that give voice to the complexities of African identity and history.
Congratulations to Chigozie Obioma for this remarkable achievement.
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
