The Fishermen

Thirty-nine-year-old Ben narrates The Fishermen as he reflects on the events of his childhood as a nine-year-old. Helon Habila, writing for the Guardian, said: ‘This well-managed balance between childhood action and adult memory gives the book a directness and guilelessness that is essential to its success. The author, when he wants to generate mystery or suspense, reverts to the child’s point of view, switching to that of an adult when he wants to create clarity and authority.’ Do you agree with Habila’s interpretation?

In an interview with the Louisiana Channel, Obioma said that the book, ‘on a primary level was intended to be Cain and Abel-like, but I think the heart of the novel is in fact the love between those brothers.’ Did you notice any similarities with the biblical story? Where were the examples of love amidst the hatred the brothers end up having for each other?

Obioma was described by the New York Times and the New Statesman as being the heir to Nigerian author ­Chinua Achebe, who won the Man Booker International Prize in 2007 for his entire body of work. If you’ve read Achebe’s books, what resemblances can you see between the two authors’ work?

Obioma includes lots of symbolism within the novel, especially with regard to animals. Not only is each chapter named after an animal, Ben also identifies each family member as a specific type of creature. Did you see the similarities between the chosen animals, their characteristics and each family member?

The Fishermen is set in 1990s Nigeria, amidst the coups and political upheaval that defined the decade. In an interview with the Booker Prizes, Obioma says the book is partly ‘a metaphor for Nigeria in which Abulu appears as the intrusive, colonial force that disrupts the equation of things’. Does this admission by the author change the way you perceive Abulu, and to what extent did you see it as a book about Nigeria as a whole?

The father of the brothers is determined that his children follow Western ideals of success, wanting them to become lawyers and doctors. A strict and imposing patriarch, he leaves the family home to work away, returning to a series of tragedies. What do you think would have happened if the boys’ father had stayed? Do you think events would have transpired differently?

Abulu’s prophecy ends up dramatically altering the lives of the four brothers, with horrific consequences. In an interview with the Louisiana Channel, Obioma said that in Igbo culture, it’s believed that everything we do is preordained, that there are no coincidences. Do you believe the prophecy was self-fulfilling or would the tragedy have happened regardless of whether or not Abulu had spoken it aloud? Was it fate or free will?

The eldest brother, Ikenna, readily believes the prophecy that predicts his own death. Rather than questioning it, he dismisses his brothers’ pleas, in which they declare their love for him and insist that they would never kill him. Why do you think Ikenna so easily believes Abulu?

With reference to his brother Ikenna’s belief in the prophecy, Ben says, ‘I have now come to know that what one believes often becomes permanent, and what becomes permanent can be indestructible.’ What’s your interpretation of this quote?

Towards the end of the book, Ben thinks he’s seen his brother, Obembe, in the garden of the family home. But his other family members don’t see him, so it’s unclear whether what Ben saw was imaginary or real. Do you think it really was Obembe or a figment of Ben’s imagination?