A Journey Through Pages: Discovering 'The Famished Road '

In the spirit of National Storytelling Week, I would like to share with you my experience with a novel that I recently read. It was a book written by Ben Okri, a seasoned, award-winning poet and novelist. I made the decision to read this book because of a recommendation made by one of my Academic Success Tutors, Joanna. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore reading a book that wasn’t non-fiction.

This challenge shattered my reluctance towards reading fiction. I still remember her asking, ‘Why don’t you like reading fiction’ to which I replied ‘Because it is fiction’. At the time, it just didn’t appeal to me, reading stories that weren’t ‘real’. It felt pointless. But she made me realise that fiction wasn’t only about made-up stories. It expands the mind, broadens the horizon of my imagination, and offers perspectives I had never considered.

This 400 page novel of never-ending suspense reels you in, with each page ending with a cliffhanger. With every turn of a page, the tension thickened, keeping me on the edge, making me wonder ‘Where will this end?’ The novel was structured like a brick, tall and thick, spine sturdy and well bonded, but surprisingly light in my hands. At first glance, it felt like an endless mountain I’d never conquer, but in less than a month, I had succeeded in reaching the end.

The book is titled ‘The Famished Road’. It is set in a ghetto city in Africa. It narrated the story of a boy named Azaro – a spirit child (abiku), who was constantly urged by his spirit siblings to leave the land of mortals and return to the land of spirits. However, Azaro, born to struggling parents, refused to give into their compulsion. He took pity on his parents who had suffered multiple stillbirths before his birth. His father and mother, a labourer and a hawker, respectively, struggled to make a better life for themselves.

Madame Koto – the owner of a local bar – exploits Azaro and asks that he visit her local bar often, with the hope that he brings luck and customers to her bar, in exchange for some food. Her bar was the meeting point for both the dead and the living, as she becomes entangled with the political elites.

Meanwhile, Azaro’s father, desperate to improve their living condition, puts his strong physique into good use, attempting to reawaken the ‘Black Tiger’ within him – an alias from his youth. After much struggle and always being the target of both physical and spiritual battles, he comes to the conclusion that as a poor man, the next step was to venture into becoming a politician to oppose the current parties rallying to uphold a significant position in their community. In all, he failed. He neither succeeded in becoming a politician nor a professional boxer. After much training, he could not keep up with the stress of himself, his wife, and son being a target of spiritual and physical attacks and surrendered to living a calm life.

In this story, I learned many valuable lessons, but three important ones stuck with me:

1. The power of resilience and hope: Azaro, being an only child, constantly pressured into crossing the line between the mortal and spirit world, nerve gave in. He stood his ground and survived the overwhelming challenges and struggles. It emphasises that hope and resilience can carry us forward even in the darkest times. 
2. The importance of self-identity: Azaro’s journey is also a quest for self-discovery. He realised who he was and tries to understand who he truly is while focusing on shaping his identity. The Famished Road teaches us the importance of understanding oneself amidst the various pressures and influences around us.
3. The power of hope and imagination: Despite the struggles and suffering, characters in the novel often find solace and strength in their dreams and imaginations. Azaro’s father especially did not undermine himself and the things that he could achieve. This underscores the power of hope and the human spirit's ability to envision a better future. 

'The Famished Road' exploits the theme of resilience, colonialism, and struggles. Azaro’s journey is symbolic of the challenges of post-colonial Africa, where people strive for progress but remain trapped in cycles of suffering and hope.

Looking back, I am grateful for the challenge that pushed me to explore fiction. The novel reshaped my perspective on storytelling and has encouraged me to read more like ‘Hafsatu Bebi’ by Fatima Bala and ‘Broken: Not a Halal love story’ by the same author. What started as mere curiosity turned into an unforgettable experience, proving that fiction is not just about escapism but a lens through which we can understand deeper truths about life. 

Why not grab a copy of the book and experience it for yourself? Happy reading!