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A review by yawningtiger
A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is an excellent second novel. I’ve been really loooking forward to this since reading Stay With Me when it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Ayobami Adebayo packs so much into 340 pages with the concepts, characters and culture of Nigeria, highlighting inequalities etc with a very deft touch. The characters feel so real, I’m imagining them existing long after finishing the novel.
Whilst this is a slow read (it’s so compact!) I still struggled to walk away and kept having breaks so that I could pick up the book again and continue to be immersed in the world Adebayo created/is writing of. Even the cover art is beautiful.
I’m already impatient for their next novel, but this one was definitely worth the wait! Will just have to reread ‘Stay With Me’ again in the meantime.
Ayobami Adebayo packs so much into 340 pages with the concepts, characters and culture of Nigeria, highlighting inequalities etc with a very deft touch. The characters feel so real, I’m imagining them existing long after finishing the novel.
Whilst this is a slow read (it’s so compact!) I still struggled to walk away and kept having breaks so that I could pick up the book again and continue to be immersed in the world Adebayo created/is writing of. Even the cover art is beautiful.
I’m already impatient for their next novel, but this one was definitely worth the wait! Will just have to reread ‘Stay With Me’ again in the meantime.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
Minor: Death, Mental illness, and Grief