A review by probablyjenna
The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma

4.0

This is a hard book for me to review because objectively speaking, it is a great work of fiction. The prose itself is beautiful, the character study of Kunle is thoughtful, and the subject of the story (the Biafran War) is one that deserves far more attention. On paper, this is a book I should have devoured and deeply enjoyed.

However, I really struggled with it. It took me more than two months to finish this book because I rarely wanted to pick it up. After reflecting for a bit, here are the main reasons:

1. This book is brutal with few, if any, moments of levity. It is a war book filled with battles, losses, and pain. While I don’t expect a book like this to have cheerful interjections, there was a human piece that felt missing. We’re told that Kunle has grown deeply attached to his fellow soldiers, yet we don’t really see those moments on the page. Interjections like that between the darker battle scenes could have added those small moments where readers can catch their breath & not become entirely numb to the violence.
2. The magical realism element needed a bit more development in order for it to feel less out of place. The chapters with the seer felt jarring, and were too short for me to really invest in. The concept was very cool, and I loved how it played out in the end, but I wanted more throughout the novel. 

The writing itself is beautiful; I definitely plan to check out Obioma’s backlog. I also think this will be a perfect book for many people…it just wasn’t quite for me.