Ben Okri, The Famished Road

I'm reviewing 500 page 1991 publication of The Famished Road.

This is an epic piece of modern literature. The author creates a fantastic scene of life struggle in an African village, as seen through the eyes of a young spirit child called Azaro. Beneath all the gorgeous character portrayals and the chaos of their African existence, is a writing about human soul. As the writer patiently unfolds the culture of poverty, we watch the villagers battle everything and everyone for another hope filled day. Their plight so desperate that only the spirits and God might deliver them. With this premise, the author reveals an incredible picture of African life. In a land filled with famine and death, the people challenge everything for it's honesty, fearing disaster awaits. For some, the crush of life and death is put aside, and spiritual sustainment is their saviour, believing their struggle goes beyond time and place. The spirit of life sits amongst them all, seen only by the believers, feared by the majority, who insult it virtuously until a healer is called for. This world full of spirits, battles, hopes and struggles will captivate you and reward you in equal measure.

I would have liked to have seen some of the spirit descriptions cut from the book, sometimes my mind swam in the deluge of monster faces, like an episode of trapdoor gone mad (for cartoon lovers), when it really only held up the progress of the reader. I also felt the ending was a little hurried. Given the understanding of it all, I think the author could have constructed a better ending. These are my reasons for not giving it full marks. I definite keeper.