A SPELL OF GOOD THINGS

327pp., paperback, Edinburgh, 2023

Novel set in modern Nigeria. 

“Eniola and Wuraola come from different classes in Nigeria, and in this dynamic sophomore novel from Adébáyò, we see how socioeconomic stratification, exacerbated by gender inequality, can destroy lives at all levels. Never mind that these layers are all interdependent and innately connected - a paradox that leads here to a shocking, violent act from which there is no turning back.” Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

“A moving story, skillfully 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, author of The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy

Nigerian writer Ayòbámi Adébáyò was born in Lagos in 1988. Her debut novel, Stay with Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature. She divides her time between Norwich and Lagos.