In the oil-rich and environmentally devastated Nigerian Delta, the wife of a British oil executive has been kidnapped. Two journalists - a young upstart, Rufus, and a once-great, now disillusioned veteran, Zaq - are sent to find her. In a story rich with atmosphere and taut with suspense, Oil on Water explores the conflict between idealism and cynical disillusionment in a journey full of danger and unintended consequences. 

As Rufus and Zaq navigate polluted rivers flanked by exploded and dormant oil wells, in search of "the white woman," they must contend with the brutality of both government soldiers and militants. Assailed by irresolvable versions of the "truth" about the woman's disappearance, dependent on the kindness of strangers of unknowable loyalties, their journalistic objectivity will prove unsustainable, but other values might yet salvage their human dignity.

Oil on Water

Acclaimed novelist Helon Habila, who grew up in northern Nigeria, returned to Chibok and gained intimate access to the families of the kidnapped to offer a devastating account of a tragedy that stunned the world. With compassion and a deep understanding of the historical context, Habila tells the stories of the girls and the anguish of their parents; chronicles the rise of Boko Haram and the Nigerian government's inept response; and captures the indifference of the media and the international community whose attention has long moved on.
Employing a fiction writer's sensibility and a journalist's curiosity, The Chibok Girls provides poignant portraits of everyday Nigerians whose lives have been transformed by extremist forces. Habila illuminates the long history of colonialism-and unmasks cultural and religious dynamics-that gave rise to the conflicts that have ravaged the region to this day.

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The Chibok Girls

2016

Parresia Books

Synopsis

Read on the Bambooks mobile app

Books by Helon Habila

Oil on Water

Related titles

My Name is Aisha

The White Queen of Okoyong

Longthroat Memoirs

Sand, Sun and Suprises

The Survival of African Traditional Religion

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City Woman

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Cheta

A Platter Of Gold: ‘MAKING NIGERIA’ 1906 – 1960

Reviews

3.9

28 Rating(s) / 0 review(s)

All reviews

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The Chibok Girls

2016

Parresia Books

Synopsis

Read on the Bambooks mobile app

Books by Helon Habila

Oil on Water

Related titles

My Name is Aisha

The White Queen of Okoyong

Longthroat Memoirs

Sand, Sun and Suprises

The Survival of African Traditional Religion

IGNIS: Nigeria's Journey Through Fire

City Woman

Highlife Giants

Cheta

A Platter Of Gold: ‘MAKING NIGERIA’ 1906 – 1960

Reviews

3.9

28 Rating(s) / 0 review(s)

All reviews