A review by wordsofclover
A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Set in a Nigerian city, this story follows two characters who live very different lives - one is a teenage boy called Eniola, who is facing daily beatings in school due to his parents' inability to pay his school fees but most days, there isn't even food on the table since his father lost his job. The other character Wuraola is a young doctor, newly engaged to a man from a good family, and the daughter of a professor herself. The two lives we follow are very separate as they both go through ups and downs, but eventually they converge in a moment of tragedy.
This book is one that I wasn't sure how I really felt until the very end, and I had to ask myself if there was a hole in my chest due to the immense sad feelings I had for the characters and how much I wanted to hold them and comfort them but also spend more time with them - and ask what happens next?
I loved the setting in this book as I often do with Nigerian writers, and Nigerian-based stories. The Nigerian culture from the family dynamics, food, clothing and celebration all comes alive in so many ways as well as some of the bad sides of the country as well such as political corruption and violence, family pressures about being a wife but also a 'good' wife, and the unfair education system. It was honestly so sad to see Eniola's heart be broken in so many ways in this book (similar in a way to how Wuraola's spirit and body are beaten by Kunle) as he saw his father for who he really was, not a teacher hero but a man prone to depression and unable to help his family when they most need it, and also saw his parents choose his sister's education over his own. The fact that Eniola went from a boy who dreamed of university to one who eventually picked up a machete in a moment that changed his world forever was devastating and the broken boy at the end of the novel was heartache personified.
On the other hand, Wuraola's life and problems are so very different to Eniola's - while he is struggling to find food to eat, she is balancing a needy, problematic boyfriend as well as her loud yet loving family and societal expectations on her as a Nigerian woman but also a daughter of a prominent family. But through the story, we see how good her family is, her father's kindness and her sister's courage, as well as her mother's love for her children as well as her moments of charity towards Eniola.
The almost last scene at the end of the book in the taxi broke my heart and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
This book is one that I wasn't sure how I really felt until the very end, and I had to ask myself if there was a hole in my chest due to the immense sad feelings I had for the characters and how much I wanted to hold them and comfort them but also spend more time with them - and ask what happens next?
I loved the setting in this book as I often do with Nigerian writers, and Nigerian-based stories. The Nigerian culture from the family dynamics, food, clothing and celebration all comes alive in so many ways as well as some of the bad sides of the country as well such as political corruption and violence, family pressures about being a wife but also a 'good' wife, and the unfair education system. It was honestly so sad to see Eniola's heart be broken in so many ways in this book (similar in a way to how Wuraola's spirit and body are beaten by Kunle) as he saw his father for who he really was, not a teacher hero but a man prone to depression and unable to help his family when they most need it, and also saw his parents choose his sister's education over his own. The fact that Eniola went from a boy who dreamed of university to one who eventually picked up a machete in a moment that changed his world forever was devastating and the broken boy at the end of the novel was heartache personified.
On the other hand, Wuraola's life and problems are so very different to Eniola's - while he is struggling to find food to eat, she is balancing a needy, problematic boyfriend as well as her loud yet loving family and societal expectations on her as a Nigerian woman but also a daughter of a prominent family. But through the story, we see how good her family is, her father's kindness and her sister's courage, as well as her mother's love for her children as well as her moments of charity towards Eniola.
The almost last scene at the end of the book in the taxi broke my heart and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Child death, and Violence