Astonishing the Gods

by Ben Okri

From the Booker prize-winning author of The Famished Road comes this bewitching novel. It is a modern fable about the relationship between love, suffering and creativity. Set on an enchanted island, Astonishing the Gods is shot through with the gentle magic of Ben Okri's imaginative prose.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Africa, Nigeria, African Literature, Literature

159 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. He left the country when a grant from the Nigerian government enabled him to read Comparative Literature at Essex University in England.

He was poetry editor for West Africa magazine between 1983 and 1986 and broadcast regularly for the BBC World Service between 1983 and 1985. He was appointed Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge in 1991, a post he held until 1993. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1987, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Westminster (1997) and Essex (2002).

His first two novels, Flowers and Shadows (1980) and The Landscapes Within (1981), are both set in Nigeria and feature as central characters two young men struggling to make sense of the disintegration and chaos happening in both their family and country. The two collections of stories that followed, Incidents at the Shrine (1986) and Stars of the New Curfew (1988), are set in Lagos and London.

In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel The Famished Road (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro's narrative is continued in Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). Other recent fiction includes Astonishing the Gods (1995) and Dangerous Love (1996), which was awarded the Premio Palmi (Italy) in 2000. His latest novels are In Arcadia (2002) and Starbook (2007).

A collection of poems, An African Elegy, was published in 1992, and an epic poem, Mental Flight, in 1999. A collection of essays, A Way of Being Free, was published in 1997. Ben Okri is also the author of a play, In Exilus.

In his latest book, Tales of Freedom (2009), Okri brings together poetry and story.

Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN, a member of the board of the Royal National Theatre, and was awarded an OBE in 2001. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is going to be slightly confusing in advance readers, you have been warned!

Astonishing the Gods is one of those books where you really love the imagination and craft that has gone into it. However, it's one of those books that you really don't understand it whatsoever. A total see-saw kind of read if you will. Very short and fast-paced, we end up in this situation where hearing different voices in someone's head can determine who you are as a person. It is philosophical and psychological, yet almost dream-like? It was an abrupt ending however and I was more confused than fulfilled.

[Chavelli Sulikowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting, magical and imaginative. Okri's miraculous "fairytale retold" contemplates an interesting conundrum - how does one cope with being invisible in an age when the visual image is paramount? Okri perfectly captures the essence of this question in the following passage: " it is better to be invisible...their lives stretched back into the invisible centuries and all that had come down from those differently coloured ages were legends and rich tradition, unwritten and therefore remembered. They were remembered because they were lived..." Okri's philosophical, semi mystic approach was both thought provoking and captivating, without being "tangled" to the point of losing the readers attention or provoking a frantic mental scramble to "get out!" His literary prowess is clear, and I look forward to reading more from this accomplished author.

[Leonie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disliked this book intensely. It was a quasi religious experiment in turning everything you know and believe on its head and looking at things from a different perspective. It was patronising and pompous, caught up in its own grandeuer. It was part self-help, part mystical new age twaddle and it left me angry on reading. Thankfully it was short.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed to read a Nigerian author for a challenge, and I needed a short book to complete the task in the allotted amount of time, so I choosed Ben Okri's Astonishing the Gods.
I regret so much I had to rush throught it. Althougt short and, apparently, a sort of fairy tale, I feel like every word is there for a reason. Okri gives us his utopia, as many philosophers has done before.

[Kala · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned from this book? Everything!

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Da Fuq!!???? Ok I thought, half way in, perhaps it’s a dream that will be explained and provide me with some higher plain of thinking about life choices on the journey. But no. I read stoically to the bitter end and I am no wiser. Maybe I wasn’t in the appropriate astral plain or I need to crank up my substances. I will read reviews posted by others to help see what I missed 😅

[n1c0wboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the bible hallucinatory edition

[Lillie Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was garbage and to make matters worse I actually knew it would be insufferable by page 3 and still wasted two hours finishing it. For what

[Alia Makki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts while reading: What is this book? Who is Ben Okri? Where the heck is Nigeria and why haven't I been there?

Migosh.

I'm such a mystic-fetishist. The book describes the conversations that occur in the Betweens, the conversations I usually hear "with the Voices in my head". The guides, all of them, the temptations, the losses and fires and archangel of the invisible, the prophet-king, the bridge, the long, long bouts of appreciative silences, are all regular beings in the landscapes of the Betweens.

(I seem to write longer reviews here especially when I'm mysticstruck. Every time I find a book that deals with the Betweens, I gush. It's getting old, and I'm sorry I'm such a bore. But to be otherwise, to write other things that are less mystical, more commercial, turns me and my table and every technological advantage bestowed upon me into flaccid matter as dull as dinars.)

I am never going to find the Betweens through these books and descriptions. I'm only finding validation, the assurance that I'm not so crazy. I'm not off the charts. That it may not be mainstream, but it's a valid, worthwhile (and occasionally joyous) path nonetheless

If I can't find the Betweens, and get over this awestruck tone, then I'm never going to find it. It's here, in the stillness. It's not a place of arrival or a real estate to mortgage. It's not a reachable goal. It's not stagnant. It's there, just close enough for perfection's despair to almost, almost reach and always, always lose again.

And to dare living without goals, to accept the decisiveness of constant loss, might as well be the only work we're meant to do here, to keep repeating and relearning, and never really get used to.

[Jonkers Jonkers · Rating 1 out of 5]

What complete and utter tosh!! Annoying and dull tosh at that. Repetitive, packed full of contradictory language (deliberately but for no apparent reason!). It was fantastic, yet crap. Marvellous yet awful. Thought-provoking but brain-numbing. Get the gist? Seeing the invisible, hearing the silence etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. etc.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biologerend. Magisch. Mysterieus.
Een tweede leesbeurt volgt zeker!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of confusing but I liked it a lot and the writing style really worked for me!

[Dave Pier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like listening to someone recounting their psychedelic trip. You know it is profound to them, but you just want to get away.

[Helin Puksand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jätkan nigeeria kirjandusega. Hea sõber Jaan juba küsis, kas ma olen Lagose romaanivõistluse välisliige. :)) Aga põhjus on ikka meie lugemisklubi. Võin öelda, et pooled eesti keelde tõlgitud nigeeria teosed on nüüd loetud.
Seekord siis urhobo hõimu (kas see on ka eraldi rahvus nagu igbod ja jorubad?) liikme Ben Okra muinasjutuline teos. Lummav ja poeetiline lugu poisist, kes on nähtamatu ja satub kummalisele saarele. Mingi hetk tekkisid paralleelid Coelho "Alkeemikuga", kuna tegemist on inimese teekonnaga oma varjatud eesmärkide suunas.
Sobib taas neile, kes naudivad loo poeetikat. Kes armastab kiiret tegevust, siis peab otsima mõne teise raamatu. Mida ehk võiks raamatule ette heita, siis seda, et teoses ei ole tunda Aafrikat - oleks oodanud kas või natukenegi vihjeid sellele maailmajaole või tema pärimustele.
Üks väike katkend ka:
Ta reisis seitse aastat. Ta tegi kõiki töid, mis talle teel ette sattusid. Ta õppis ära palju erinevaid keeli. Ta õppis ära palju erinevaid vaikuseid. Niipalju kui võimalik, hoidis ta oma suu kinni ja kuulas kõike, mida teistel inimestel ja loodusel öelda oli. Ta reisis paljudel meredel ja nägi paljusid linnasid ning oli tunnistajaks mitmesugustele kurjustele, mis inimese südamest võrsuda võivad. Ta reisis meredel ja kõneles vähe ning millal iganes keegi päris, miks ta reisib ja milline oli tema sihtpunkt, andis ta kaks vastust. Üks neist oli küsija kõrvadele, teine aga ta omaenda südamele. Esimene vastus oli selline:
"Ma ei tea, miks ma reisin. Ma ei tea, kuhu ma lähen."
Teine vastus oli selline:
"Ma reisin, et teada saada, miks olen nähtamatu. Otsin nähtav olemise saladust."
Need, kes noil aastatel temaga koos töötasid, nägid temas lihtsat inimest. Või õigupoolest nad ei näinudki teda. (lk 10)

[Paras Sharma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 ⭐⭐

I appreciate the literary voices and the type of writing that the author uses to draw the reader in, but that's not enough. The story simply failed to get my attention, maybe the genre is not of my taste.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. In the introduction to the new edition, Okri says, 'The hero of this novel finds what he did not seek, and goes where he did not intend to go. As I did in writing it. I set out to find one thing, but found another.' Unfortunately this is very apparent in the novel. 'Invisibility' starts off as a metaphor for the unremembered, those erased from annals of history. But it morphs (quite quickly - startlingly, without cause) into a metaphor for..... citizenship to some sort of lush utopic vision? Huh? Reminds me a lot of the junk I used to write as a kid which was all intensely metaphorical but entirely unintelligible bc it was all for the sake of pushing pens. The book reads like it was written without any conscientiousness. Which is fun as a writing exercise, less so as a thing worthy of publication. But at least the images are very beautiful, biblical.

[Jamie March · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a ‘right book, right time’ for me. I know I would have found it beautiful no matter when I read it, but I’m so glad I found it when I did. It is one of the best books I read and I know I will revisit it in the future when I need it again :)

[deadwelshkings☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I love your loneliness. It is brave. It makes the universe want to protect you.”
― Ben Okri, Astonishing the Gods

3.75 stars

Astonishing the Gods is a very imaginative story, filled with wise moments and a bewilderingly interesting plot - it's my second book by Ben Okri and something about his writing is simply reality expanding and so just so so poetic and beautiful.

And it's the perfect book if you want to pass the time on the train :)

[Vincent Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a pretty short book so I tore through 95% in one sitting. I really like the philosophy presented in this book. It’s definitely not what I expected the book would be about but I was still happy with the way it went. It got a little slow about 1/3-1/2 through the book but then the pace picked up again and it didn’t dip back down again. If you’re into philosophical/ psychological reads then I would totally recommend you give this a shot!

[Nivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Astonishing the Gods is a novel by Booker Award Winning author Ben Okri. The story starts with an unnamed protagonist who was born invisible and feels out of place. In hoping to understand the reason behind his invisibility, he decided to travel. While traveling, he encounters a mystical island where he encounters jeweled roads, hosts of angels, astonishing architecture and emerald horned unicorns and everything oozes in one way or other philosophical questions and spiritual quests. The author combined allegory, myths, folklore, and symbolism to populate different aspects of the island where the meaning and purpose of life is explored in the protagonist’s encounters and experiences in a quest to discover the secrets of visibility.

Astonishing the Gods is beautifully written. The author's writing is imaginative, enchanting and fairy tale-like. It is poetic and full of quotable lines, philosophical innuendos, and surreal scenery. The episodic structure and beautiful lyrical language make it a good read.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. Imagery was beautiful.

[pooja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5

Magical prose.

[Keshav Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing short book,this book is a great example of an uplifting philosophical conundrum which is filled with profound knowledge & wisdom. It Will give you a better perspective of life, It won't take more than a day to read if you can give it few hours.

I was awestruck after i read this particular quote from the book which was something like this;
If you are trying to find something then you must have lost it and if you have lost something it can never be found. Don't try to find things they are already there if you would stop looking for it and just see.

[Marlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as soon as it was released as I had read the Famished Road and loved that tremendously, but I was so disappointed with this one, perhaps with my inability to comprehend it, but I found it too complex and didn't get the symbolism. It was a difficult read and I just couldn't get it. I did read it all the way, but did I understand it? Did i enjoy it? Sadly, no. I was so excited for this book too.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read that was very symbolic in creating an island where a man exclusively progresses to the point of becoming invisible. This was to be a high level of spiritual attainment that was to represent some sort of deification. I found it very similar to Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Mormon doctrine in that progression is the central focus. It was inspirational as well as stimulating.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story is very spiritual, beautifully written, and went straight over my head.
I gave my book club a selection of Okri's work and I have a funny feeling they at going to be very cranky with me.

[Bernice Puleng Mosala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is part literature and part prophetic word. It’s a guide through life that melds with poetry, leaving you inspired.

[Vincent Blok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het zoeken en vinden van zin (Ben Okri, De onzichtbare)
De onzichtbare gaat over de innerlijke transformatie die een mens doormaakt in de zoektocht naar de zin van het leven. Tegelijkertijd legt het een mogelijke spanning tussen de onzichtbare mens en de zichtbare mens bloot. Daarbij moet je even afzien van de interpretatie van de onzichtbare mens als ‘Afrikaanse’ mens die in de ogen van de Westerse ‘zichtbare’ mens onzichtbaar is, zoals sommige critici van het boek beweren.
Concentreer je voor een moment op de rol van het zoeken en vinden van zingeving: “’Je moet de dingen eerst vinden, voordat je ernaar op zoek kunt’” (109). Op zich is dit een begrijpelijke gedachte. Als je iets zoekt moet je het eerst kwijt zijn, en als iets kwijt bent heb je het daarvoor al gehad, maar kun je het niet meer terugvinden. Dus moet je het eerst gevonden hebben voordat je ernaar kunt zoeken. Als je door te zoeken nooit zult vinden, en toch aanneemt dat de mens zoekt naar de zin van het leven, dan moet je die zin dus altijd al gevonden hebben. Vanuit die gedachte is de innerlijke transformatie die een mens doormaakt in de zoektocht naar de zin van het leven dat je afscheid moet nemen van het zoeken en moet beseffen “dat de antwoorden er altijd al waren” (110). Door te zoeken zul je nooit vinden, dus je moet afscheid nemen van het zoeken en je realiseren dat je de zin altijd al gevonden hebt.
Jou gaat het niet om de oppositie tussen de Westerse en de niet-Westerse mens, als je bezwaar maakt tegen deze opvatting, want deze gedachte tekent evengoed de traditie van de Westerse mens die nooit bij de vraag naar zin kon blijven stilstaan maar altijd al opging in het antwoord, of dit antwoord nu in de mens als schepsel Gods, als vrij wezen of als gedetermineerde biljardbal bestond. Het klopt dat je iets moet vinden voordat je er naar kunt zoeken, maar dat betekent niet je het altijd al hebt gevonden, dat het onderdeel is van “jouw persoonlijke rijkdom, je eigen paradijs” (15). Het is die gedachte, dat de zin van jouw perceptie afhankelijk is, die van onzichtbaarheid getuigt. De zin is daarentegen niet afhankelijk van jouw perceptie maar is als een invasieve soort die opkomt en jou te denken geeft als zinvol zijn om naar te vragen.
Maar dat betekent niet van de weeromstuit dat het zoeken naar zin secundair is ten opzichte van het vinden van die zin, want als de zin ontbreekt – zoals in tijden van nihilisme zoals de onze - gaat het niet aan domweg te wachten op diens opkomst, maar bestaat het zoeken in de huldiging van jouw openheid voor de opkomst van de zin die er niet is maar dankzij jouw vragende intentie als mogelijke zin geëxploreerd kan worden. Pas die huldiging van het zoeken zonder te vinden maakt de mens zichtbaar. Meer blogs over literatuur en filosofie: https://vincentblok.wordpress.com/)

[amaya :P · Rating 1 out of 5]

this could have been everything … it had the fantasy-esque vibe, the classic hero and prophecy storyline, and yet .. if you were to ask me what happened in this book, i really would not be able to tell you, because, really, what the hell happened in this book?! a whole lot of nothing, ill say. everything was so weird and random and vague, which may have been on purpose (it was probably most definitely on purpose), but it just made everything so confusing. what pissed me off the most was how the characters kept referring to our nameless main character as some kind of great hero, referencing some kind of prophecy more than once, how they’ve been “waiting for him”. however, outside of that dialogue, there was No sign of any prophecy, and our main character had no heroic moments whatsoever… i wanted a hercules moment, wanted one so bad, so desperately, and was let down so horribly 😞 to be honest, i noticed very early on that this book was not at all what i thought it was (in a bad way), and only persisted on reading because of the promise of some epic adventure in search of visibility. author left me hanging in so many ways .. im still hanging, in fact. this book had so much potential to be amazing, but the delivery absolutely slaughtered any chance for me to enjoy this. ☹️ first one star review EVER and it does not feel as awesome as i thought it would 👎

[Tumelo Moleleki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is some higher grade storytelling that I am unable to fathom. I am not sure if I know what I was reading and yet I kind of followed the story. This book requires the kind of imagination I don't know if I have. Light that is dark, mind bending stuff. I learned a lot about architecture and picked up some useful vocab.