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A review by nadia
A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. Well, as much as you can enjoy a book on such tough subject matter. Set in modern-day Nigeria and covering themes of mental health, toxic relationships, abuse, corruption, death, grief, poverty and so much more, this is no easy read. It's been a while that I've read a book that is so purely 'sad' as it says on the (StoryGraph) tin!
Following on from Stay With Me, I remain a fan of Adébáyọ̀'s writing. I could tell I was reading the words of a skilful writer, and yet it was all so easily digestible. Nothing is overdone.
I can't decide how I felt about the change in pace towards the end of the book. On one hand I appreciated the switch-up; on the other, it felt a little rushed!
All in all, an incredibly worthwhile read, and I especially appreciated how the ending of the book accurately reflects the harsh realities of real life for a lot of people.
Following on from Stay With Me, I remain a fan of Adébáyọ̀'s writing. I could tell I was reading the words of a skilful writer, and yet it was all so easily digestible. Nothing is overdone.
I can't decide how I felt about the change in pace towards the end of the book. On one hand I appreciated the switch-up; on the other, it felt a little rushed!
All in all, an incredibly worthwhile read, and I especially appreciated how the ending of the book accurately reflects the harsh realities of real life for a lot of people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Death, and Death of parent