Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74498 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
'(The writer) in whose company the prison walls fell down' - Nelson Mandela. After a long silence Achebe published in 1987 what many see as his greatest work - an acrid, frightening look at oil-boom Nigeria, a world of robberies, road blocks and intimidation in which those who are meant to be protecting a country's citizens are in reality supervising the looting.

Customer Reviews

Achebe raises a number of issues in this story
This is an excellently told story of three friends who grow up to lead the state of Kangan. The story shifts narration between the main characters (the head of state, the minister of informationa ndthe head of the natioanl newspaper) and slowly gives the reader an impression of what post-colonial life is like in an African state of both developing ciites and incredicle rural poverty. Via the central characters, you learnn of the incredible influence that the English bourgeiose have had (an continue to have) on the logic and thinking of many African leaders as they continue to look to their immediate pasts (under colonial rule) for a guide as to how to rule. The story of these three friends really lets one feel that the post-colonial African state is a hugely complex issue. Despite all that you learn from the text, it never becomes didactic and is first and foremost an enjoyable read. This is the second Achebe novel I have read (the other being Things Fall Apart) and I thought this one was more accessible and more enjoyable.

Thought provoking look at the nature of power and corruption
I would recommend this novel to anybody. I became completely wrapped up in it and read the whole book in one sitting. It is about highest level society in a post colonial African state and focuses on five characters, three of whom are the "green bottles" who control the state. The multi narrative structure works very much to the novel's advantage, drawing the reader in and allowing us to discover different character's motives and prerogatives. This structure could have been confusing and unnecessary, but Achebe controls it so skilfully through use of the third person throughout, that it enhances, not detracts from the reading experience. Achebe also manages to show us the effects of the corruption on the state (Kangan), without painting any of the characters in absolute, black and white terms. We are shown all the characters in a measured and unbiased way, allowing us to form our own judgements. The skilful characterisation fully supports this. However at the same time the reader is also aware of Achebe's own political message. All in all, a thoroughly entralling, enjoyable novel, which educates without ever slipping into a boring,dull style.