The HalfGod of Rainfall, Inua Ellams
The HalfGod of Rainfall, Inua Ellams
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49

The Half-God of Rainfall

Author: Inua Ellams

Narrator: Inua Ellams

Unabridged: 1 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Fourth Estate

Published: 04/04/2019

Categories: Fiction, Poetry, Epic Poetry


Synopsis

From the award-winning poet and playwright behind , is an epic story and a lyrical exploration of pride, power and female revenge. There is something about Demi. When this boy is angry, rain clouds gather. When he cries, rivers burst their banks and the first time he takes a shot on a basketball court, the deities of the land take note. His mother, Modupe, looks on with a mixture of pride and worry. From close encounters, she knows Gods often act like men: the same fragile egos, the same unpredictable fury and the same sense of entitlement to the bodies of mortals. She will sacrifice everything to protect her son, but she knows the Gods will one day tire of sports fans, their fickle allegiances and misdirected prayers. When that moment comes, it won’t matter how special he is. Only the women in Demi’s life, the mothers, daughters and Goddesses, will stand between him and a lightning bolt.

About Inua Ellams

Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua Ellams is an internationally touring poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist & designer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and has published four books of poetry: , , and . His play, , sold out at England’s National Theatre. He is currently touring .


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dannii

I knew I was going to love this since I read the words in the dedication: "In solidarity with women who have spoken against or stood up to male abuses of power in all its forms". This novel in verse introduced the reader to a boy who made rivers break their banks when he cried and had one sole passio......more

------------------VIDEO REVIEW------------------ 27/11/19 The Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams is an epic that explores pride, power and revenge, mainly centring on a female’s perspective. I was blown away by how beautifully Ellams managed to weave together a rendition of Icarus and a story of abus......more

Goodreads review by Oyinda

158 of 2021 Bruhhhhh The material!!! The fucking material! Gosh I didn't want this to end. Such rich and lush prose, an amazing audiobook narration, god tier writing, and the plot?! Hot damn!!!! I loved this so much. Thank you Karima for recommending this to meeee. It's such a fast and amazing read, and......more

Goodreads review by AnnaG

This is a really thought-provoking poem that pulls together the clash of gods ancient and modern, the power of family love against the powers of the world and how to be both ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. It's hard to compare this to other books, because it's not really like anything I......more

Goodreads review by Viv

Well, this was pretty special. Told entirely in free verse, it's a revenge story with feminist sensibilities featuring Greek and Nigerian deities, basketball legends and an awesome mother. I loved it!......more


Quotes

Praise for : ‘… When I was making Good Omens and getting no time to read, I still found time to read it.’ Neil Gaiman on Twitter 'A world-beating exploration of mythology, power and sport, all stitched together by the unique and wonderful pen of Inua Ellams, ' Nikesh Shukla ‘If you love the swish of draining rain, you’ll love . Ellams creates a fresh flood of three-pointers and a Herculean dunk. ’ Peter Khan ‘For 21st century readers who have fallen into the rhythm of the courts, this is mythopoetics at its best. By the strength of its careful braiding of song and swift slashes through a cross-pantheon of Yoruba and Greek deities, at the journey of OluDemi Modupe. Inua Ellams possesses an intuitive and fluid grasp of the eternal virtues and heroic narratives that constitute our transglobal imaginations’ Major Jackson ‘Part Homeric-style epic, part female-focused revenge tragedy. Each line feels as though it’s carved into stone—solid, striking, glinting with beauty, but steeped in hard-edged truth. A true story for the ages, as well as for the politics of the present day’ Bridget Minamore ‘Ellams’ deeply moving epic transcends the printed word into dance and song. In reading, I became witness, worshipper and player’ C. S. Lozie ‘Inua writes in brimstone and beautiful’ William Augustus Chase Praise for Inua Ellams: ‘Ellams’ poetry gleams with a dusty, worn, deeply original beauty and he remains such wonderfully generous company’ ‘There’s something uniquely 21st Century about Ellams’ voice which somehow absorbs the whole experience of colonialism without being totally defined by it’