The Half-God of Rainfall

From the award-winning poet and playwright behind Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall 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. Inua Ellams The Half-God of Rainfall is a top-rated short fiction that beautifully combines African mythology, fairy tales, and folk legends. The themes of pride, power, and female revenge are intricately woven into this family-centered narrative. For fans of Toni Morrison (Mouth Full of Blood), Philip Larkin (Philip Larkin Poems), James Baldwin (No Name in the Street), Terrance Hayes (American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin), and Bernardine Evaristo (Manifesto).