The story of a war can only be fully and truly told by both the living and the dead. – Igbo Proverb.

I did not come to read this book with a list of expectations. The truth is I have always had such an experience reading Mr. Obioma’s writing- and I have become one of those readers who would light up when I see someone posting any of his books. I met him through The Fishermen, after that I got so immersed in An Orchestra of Minorities and so when I picked The Road to the Country– I had to read it.

We meet Kunle who goes out in search of his brother, Tunde. He leaves home guilty because of the circumstances that led to Tunde being involved in a car accident that rendered him wheelchair bound. His desire is to bring Tunde home. What he does not know is that he will be walking into war, and what would start as a search would wind up being something he was unprepared for- loss, bloodshed, survival, fear, courage, sadness, guilt. He gets conscripted into the Biafran war (this happened 1967-1970). He finds love in Agnes, he makes friends who become his brothers, loses some- gets hit by a shrapnel…and all this is seen through the Seer’s eyes- his divination a close watch and reality that Kunle lives.

“If it shocks you, then it can haunt you; if it haunts you, it can damage you. A soldier who is already hurt by his own mind, how can he stand a chance against a vicious and well-equipped army?”

When I got to part three of this book, I felt numb- a certain kind of gloom washed over me because of the front row experience of killing, of death and dead bodies that is war. At some point, I set this book aside and read a romance novel to feel a bit lighter, and what I did realize was that each page added onto the nostalgia and numbness that Kunle felt- and also the Seer, not wanting to intervene in his life but seeing the danger and pain coming his way.

If you were to ask me, I would say that in this book, there is no glossing over the reality of war-and that in itself speaks louder than making it through 384 pages of Kunle’s story. This is worth reading, not because it will entertain you- it does not, it’s worth reading because it would get you to stop and ask yourself why do we still go to war?

So, here’s a couple of links that I think you could check out to know more about the book: Author’s website, Review on World Literature Today, Buy the book on Amazon.