The Famished Road

1 About this book

The Famished Road is a novel by Nigerian author Ben Okri, the first book in a trilogy that continues with Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Published in London in 1991 by Jonathan Cape, The Famished Road follows Azaro, an abiku, or spirit child, living in an unnamed African (most likely Nigerian) city. The novel employs a unique narrative style, incorporating the spirit world with the "real" world in what some have classified as animist realism. Others have labelled the book African traditional religion realism, while still others choose simply to call the novel fantasy literature. The book exploits the belief in the coexistence of the spiritual and material worlds that is a defining aspect of traditional African life.

The Famished Road was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for 1991, making Okri the youngest ever winner of the prize at the age of 32.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: fantasy, a coming-of-age story, magic, and a long read.

• Magic
• Magic in fiction
• Nigeria
• Nigeria in fiction
• Fantasy, contemporary
• Coming of age
• Murderers
• Man Booker Prize Winner