Oil on Water: A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Literary
Cover of the book Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Helon Habila ISBN: 9780393340150
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: May 16, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Helon Habila
ISBN: 9780393340150
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: May 16, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

“The new generation of twenty-first-century African writers have now come of age. Without a doubt Habila is one of the best.”—Emmanuel Dongala

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“The new generation of twenty-first-century African writers have now come of age. Without a doubt Habila is one of the best.”—Emmanuel Dongala

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.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Helon Habila
Cover of the book The Culinary Imagination: From Myth to Modernity by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Modern Liberty: And the Limits of Government (Issues of Our Time) by Helon Habila
Cover of the book The Few and the Proud: Marine Corps Drill Instructors in Their Own Words by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Reinventing Knowledge: From Alexandria to the Internet by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Lenin's Brother: The Origins of the October Revolution by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture, and Wisdom (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Arizona: A Bicentennial History by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Tennessee: A Bicentennial History by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Man's Search for Himself by Helon Habila
Cover of the book An Urchin in the Storm: Essays about Books and Ideas by Helon Habila
Cover of the book What Philosophy Can Do by Helon Habila
Cover of the book King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East by Helon Habila
Cover of the book Zen and Psychotherapy: Partners in Liberation by Helon Habila
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy