Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2024
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023
MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023: the Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, Stylist, the Express and Oprah Daily

Ayobami Adebayo, the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of Stay With Me, unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession and political corruption.

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, Ayobami Adebayo shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.

Publisher Review

A moving story, skilfully told, about Eniola, a boy whose future has been snatched away from him, and Wuraola, a talented, overworked junior doctor, whose intertwined narratives combine to produce an insightful portrait of an unequal and deeply divided society moving towards a terrible crisis. A Spell of Good Things is both gripping and memorable -- PAT BARKER Adebayo's mesmerizing prose is suffused with heart and sharp emotions. Every page of this book was a pleasure to read. Even the hard parts. A Spell of Good Things is a triumph of storytelling -- CHIKA UNIGWE All characters matter in Ayobami Adebayo's intricate, haunting and timely fictional exploration of classism and sexism set in Nigeria's election season -- SEFI ATTA Ayobami Adebayo is a natural storyteller, a spellbinder. Her expansive second novel is Dickensian in scope and execution. It sparkles -- HELON HABILA It is wonderful that Ayobami Adebayo has delivered a novel that takes all the promise of her debut Stay With Me to another fabulous level. Her writing has a captivating power that becomes irresistible, detail by detail, page by page, making A Spell of Good Things a truly unforgettable read -- MARGARET BUSBY Bright and distinctive . . . Adebayo delivers a searing indictment of the country's corruption and gender inequalities. This packs a powerful punch * * Publishers Weekly * * [Ayobami Adebayo] writes about intimate, domestic Nigerian lives, in maybe the way that Anne Tyler does with America . . . within her stories is the whole entire world * * Open Book * * Praise for Stay With Me: Scorching, gripping, ultimately lovely -- MARGARET ATWOOD A thoroughly contemporary style that is all her own . . . clever and funny . . . despite the intense sadness of her subject matter, she has produced a bright, big-hearted demonstration of female spirit, as well as the damage done by the boundlessness of male pride * * Guardian * * Has a remarkable emotional resonance and depth of field . . . [Adebayo] is an exceptional storyteller. She writes not just with extraordinary grace but with genuine wisdom about love and loss and the possibility of redemption. She has written a powerfully magnetic and heartbreaking book * * New York Times * *