Ayobami Adebayo's novel of Nigerian politics, A Spell of Good Things (2023), weaves together the tales of two middle-class families, one impoverished by job loss, the other holding on to their status, into a story line that starts slowly but accelerates towards a devastating act of political violence. A novel of a failing society, it presents an uncompromisingly grim picture of Nigeria; a difficult but engaging read.
A FORMER CHILD INFLUENCER comes to terms with how the exploitation of her image changed her life. More than just a “problem novel,” this thoughtful book deftly takes on issues of family trauma, love, friendship, racial and national identity. A MINUS