2023 Booker longlist: A Spell of Good Things by Ayòbámi Adébáyò

by jenp27 on August 29, 2023

Next up for our panel is Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s A Spell of Good Things. Adébáyọ̀ is no stranger to literary acclaim. Her novel Stay with Me won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and Prix Les Afriques and was shortlist for the Women’s Prize. Many of our panelists have raved about her work.

Synopsis taken from Booker Prize website: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s breathtaking novel shines a light on the haves and have-nots of Nigeria, and the shared humanity that lives in between. 

Ẹniọlá is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. His father has lost his job, so Ẹniọlá spends his days running errands, collecting newspapers and begging – dreaming of a big future.  Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family, and now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice. But when sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Ẹniọlá’s lives become inextricably intertwined…

You can purchase a copy of the book here

Keep reading to find out how our panelists rated this book.

Three of our panelists reviewed this book including Tracy, Jen, and Book Worm

Tracy’s Thoughts: When I heard Ayobami Adebayo had a new book coming out, I was excited- I really liked Stay With Me. I had heard this one wasn’t as good- but jumped in anyway, and I’m glad I did.

I have to say there are a LOT of trigger warnings with this book. But it was worth reading. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but I can say that I appreciated it. It was a hard book to read. But I did learn about another culture, the similarities and differences, and I got a good cry in.

I liked the use of characters as symbols of generational attitudes, as well as the changing of the guard in the country due to outside influences. It felt like the flux of a country’s life cycle represented through the characters. Which is why the violence is there.

There is a lot in this book. The more I think about it, the more I find. And that’s what a Booker book is supposed to do. This is a good choice, I feel.

Writing quality: 4.5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot: 3.5/4
Enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 18/20

Jen’s Thoughts: Overall, this was a pretty readable book for me which isn’t always the case for Booker novels. Compared to the Barry book (which I had just read prior to this one), it’s fast paced and filled with a lot of action. But unlike the Barry book, I felt somewhat disconnected to the protagonists and their emotions in this novel. I like the way that a lot of Nigerian literature delves into complex social issues like social class, violence, and politics and this book was no exception. I liked how Adébáyò highlighted the various forms of violence and how it was all connected to the lives of her characters. I also appreciated the fact that the novel uncovered the ways in which the social consequences of poverty, when left ignored, trickle into the lives of the entire society. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it particularly different or original. There was nothing particularly innovative about the writing style, the themes and content were similar to many other books I’ve read, and while the characters were well developed, I found the side characters to be much more interesting than the two primary protagonists. It’s definitely a well written and solid novel but I finished it feeling rather lukewarm.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 2.5/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 13.5/20

BookWorm’s Thoughts: I have previously reviewed this in depth on the blog so I will keep this brief. This is not a book I enjoyed reading but it is a book I appreciated for the insight it gave me into another culture and the problems faced by the different social classes in that culture. It did have me tearing up and that is a sign that the characters and their struggles felt real to me.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 13/20

Lisa’s thoughts:

Although it took a little bit of time, A Spell of Good Things soon drew me in and held my attention. I liked the structure —Adébáyò alternates between two narratives that gradually weave together and crash toward a brutal end. I loved the empathy with which she portrayed the main characters even as you watched them make bad decisions. Adébáyò shows the reader how the circumstances of the local society shape the characters and lead them to these decisions. This book is not for the faint at heart — ultimately, it was much more unsparingly cruel than I expected. But I keep thinking about it. The themes of (male) power on different levels, and control, and the violence used to maintain power, are unfortunately universal themes in every culture.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 17/20

Have you read it? What do you think?

Our panel’s Rankings: