Spell of Good Things
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A dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption from the celebrated author of Stay with Me, "in the lineage of great works by Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" (The New York Times).
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Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. Because his father has lost his job, Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers, begging when he must, dreaming of a big future.
Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician.
When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola's and Eniola’s lives become intertwined. In her breathtaking second novel, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.
Liked Spell of Good Things? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Spell of Good Things. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
“If you want more of the same (literary fiction about politics), start with these.”
“If it was the British that hooked you, try one of these.”
“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”
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The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Global Inequality
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If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go
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Set the Night on Fire
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Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good