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We Are the Water People
- A Short Story
- Narrated by: Anita Kavuu-Ng'ang'a, Shiro Kihagi, Oheri Otobo
- Series: Audible Original Stories, Afrolit Now
- Length: 1 hr and 30 mins
- Original Recording Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Horror
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Publisher's Summary
From critically acclaimed author Troy Onyango comes a dark, suspenseful tale of spirits bearing witness to a crime that rocks an island community, based on the Luo legend of the water people.
When fishermen on Nam Lolwe (commonly known as Lake Victoria) return with the body of a young boy found inside the sack, a close-knit island is thrown into mourning, and they all suspect foul play in the death of the child. But who could have committed such a terrible crime, and why? To discover the truth, the islanders must rely on the water spirits beneath the lake’s surface - the only souls who serve as witnesses to the vile act.
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What listeners say about We Are the Water People
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-15-21
Good story with interesting perspective
A good story told from 3 perspectives by three different but fitting narrator's. I wouldn't say it is horror almost more mystery but was very engaging throughout.
14 people found this helpful
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- Heather
- 10-15-21
Wish I could give more than 5 stars
This is a beautifully written, heartbreaking story. The reader is transported into the scene with the wonderful imagery, courtesy of this talented author. The narration is perfection. Lovely, rich voices convey the love, loss, and anger felt in this story. PLEASE listen to this story. You will NOT regret it. (I really do think the "1 star" review was supposed to be for another story)
13 people found this helpful
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- delfi7
- 10-18-21
Ended with confusion
I did not like the ending. It was very confusing. Listened to it 3 times, still not sure what happened.
6 people found this helpful
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- Maggie Smith
- 10-25-21
amazing *wow*
such an amazing story and incredibly well preformed. please listen to this story it is worth it. it is not a horror story. it is more of a mystery. there is prostitution and molestation in some parts and I am guessing thats why it's rated as a "horror". it is not violent or bloody.
incredible story and narration. one of the best I've ever listened to on audible.
trigger warning: child molestation
4 people found this helpful
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- H. Byers
- 11-03-21
Excellently written and performed, sick and sad
Although some apparently do not consider this a horror story, which must be since it is not full of overt scenes playing out violent blood and gore, I do consider it a horror story woven from the foundations of what creates a feeling of being horrified by common and vile human behavior that is recounted here.
I feel poisoned and sickened as if I was too present in the community to ever forget what I have heard as real; but, not blinded by their collective consciousness and interpretation and measure of life experiences, enabling me to reject what they all accept and ignore. Only the most abused of the population has the courage and clarity of sight to recognize the truth of what others truly are under their public personas. Although this story was expertly laid out and does leave you with both knowing the truth and wondering what comes of it, and the narration quite entrancing, I will not be able to erase it from my mind and regret it. For others who enjoy reveling in such things, this is probably a match.
3 people found this helpful
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- Caleb
- 11-03-21
Miraculous
Sounded of an ancient story long forgotten. The details were innocent and mature. A good fire gathering story.
2 people found this helpful
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- Jason R.
- 10-17-21
Repetitive and slow
Though the story sounds interesting I found this to be slow and the accents of the narrators to be thick and hard to understand at times.
1 person found this helpful
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- Penny
- 05-13-22
Boring
Struggled to finish. Not an enjoyable story, but the narration was great. Do not recommend.
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- Johnnyq66
- 04-24-22
Confusing
The performance was excellent but the story was confusing. I listened to it twice or during the second attempt i quit mid thrrough. I dont have to listen to audible books twice to understand them, but this one i did or tried. I didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It didnt make sense to me.
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- Sandra Foster
- 04-14-22
Great!
Written in beautiful prose, it was a treat for my ears! I loved the performance and the way that the story progressed moving from one character to another touching on grief, religion, and the importance of water in the culture of the small island. The way water is talked about as a source of life and death is very touching. The story is not gruesome or scary given the subject matter. Highly recommend!
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- Sharon
- 12-26-21
5 stars
Picked this up on a whim because it was short and included in the membership. I'm so glad I did! The imagery is vivid, the narration full of emotion, and the plot absolutely does not lack. I will definitely be listening to it again, as well as seeking out more by the author.
1 person found this helpful
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- Len Lim
- 12-06-21
Goodreads is delusional, go listen to this book 😂
In my opinion, the shop's summary and the trolls at Goodreads really did not do this book justice. When I picked it up, I thought this would be just another supernatural mystery story. Now I think I got more than my plus membership afforded.
Troy Onyango's 'We Are The Water People' is a moving story about the shape of grief, the importance of cultural identity and the relationship between nature and man, and is a cautionary tale about the way justice may often arrive by the hands of a society's most stigmatized peoples. It is a must-read for anyone who has lost a loved one to this pandemic - I can definitely see myself coming back to this audiobook for comfort when the world self-implodes again in like 2 weeks.
In the meantime, I must check out more of the author's works. I cannot, in good conscious, NOT encourage others to do the same! Thank you Troy Onyango, for this beautiful gift in times of strife 💌
1 person found this helpful
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- Lucy
- 10-28-21
lntriguing twist of events!
Loved it, never would have imagined how the story unfolds, i was intrigued to finish so i could find out how things had ended or rather, how it all began. The narrators did a great job, but I have to say; Shiro Kihagi truely brought the story to life for me..i was right there with those ladies as they scooped water out of their boat.
1 person found this helpful
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- J. Wexler
- 01-22-22
At times, captivating, then not
This is more literature than a story. It is written in forms that may seem obscure to western minds. It is a telling of pain, truth and observation.
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- cyclingcarol
- 01-10-22
A Poem of Short Story
A real treat as we are taken into another culture to hear different voices focused on the loss of a child. Justice comes at the hands of determined women.