A Spell of Good things sheds light on the class divide in Nigeria
Ayobami Adebayo tells the story of class using the lives of a wealthy doctor and and a boy to paint a moving story
One of the things I love about books is how unpredictable it is, you never know what you’re about to read until you keep going and if you’re fortunate you’ll never want to leave because you might get sucked in from Page 1.
That was how I felt about A Spell of Good things by Ayobami Adebayo
From the beginning we’re introduced to our stars Eniola and Wuraola; each going through, each making terrible decisions that their lives present to them. We’re given a treat of meeting the people in their lives and made to know them a lot more but our stars are Eniola and Wura
So what’s the book about ?
Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. His father has lost his job, so Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging, 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 family friends. When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Eniola’s lives become intertwined.
In this breathtaking novel, Ayòbámi Adébáyò shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in-between.
As I read the last sentence all I can say is Wow, Ayobami Adebayo takes on a rollercoaster ride with this one, this is my first read of the Author but I’m itching to go read her other work. I saw she had another book published.
What I loved
I loved the writing, it was easy to follow without getting lost or asking questions
I loved how each character told their story and how it tied together all nicely.
Now What i didn’t like was That it had an end, I wished it continued.
I love how A spell of Good things sheds so much light on Family — the importance of sisters and family, while one had family that had their back and they could take for granted. The other didn’t but stuck together in making bad decisions. The irony of life
I also loved how it threw light on the political system in Nigeria and how it preys on the less privileged to do their dirty work.
Overall I loved this book, if you’re tired of me saying it yet and I’d definitely recommend you to give it a read.
