Book Review: ‘A Spell of Good Things’ By Ayobami Adebayo

The Cambridge Dictionary defines inequality as an unfair situation in which some people have more opportunities, money, and resources than others.

Many become aware of these inequalities when they start socialising, particularly in school settings. Often, in schools, one starts noticing that others can afford the things they can only dream of, from the books they read to the shoes they wear.

A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo is a hard-hitting novel highlighting inequalities in modern Nigeria. It follows Wulaora and Eniola, who are from different social classes.

Eniola is a 16-year-old boy born to a history teacher father and a stay-at-home mother who swore that she would do whatever it took for her children to get a quality education that she was not lucky enough to get.

However, the government has other plans for the country's teachers and school curriculum. Many teachers, including history subject teachers, woke up one morning with no jobs because students did not need to learn history in the technologically advanced world they live in.

"What will our children do with Yoruba in this modern world? What? You see, what we need now is technology, science, and technology."

The governor's announcement on the radio shatters the hopes and dreams of Eniola's family, including his sister, Busola. Busola is a confident young girl who loves school, books, and the forest. She dreams of becoming a forester.

On the other hand, the author, Adebayo, introduces Wulaora, a medical doctor born into wealthy parents. A father with several businesses and Yeye, a mother with an accumulation of gold and land for the rainy days.

"Just like that, everything can change. My dear, in this life, a woman must always have options. This gold is part of my inheritance ...," she told Wulaora one morning.

Yeye had a challenging background. She understands what it means to be poor. Like Eniola's mother, she swore to give her children a better education so that they could do better for themselves.

The author highlights the obsession in many societies with women who remain unmarried by the age of 30. Wulaora's mother and aunties could not stop reminding her that she was approaching 30 and needed to get married. When it happens, she believes that her daughter is now problem-free.

And Wulaora? She had no visible problems. Not now that she was engaged and set to be married before turning 30.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. After his parents fail to pay the fees for the cheaper private school where he and his sister are studying, Eniola transfers to a public school, which, according to his mother, "they say is free education. Free education, but half of the teachers are gone."

Eniola meets two boys in this new school who invite him to eat. He cannot resist because food is another luxury they cannot afford at home most days. The boys tell Eniola how generous the honourable is to them for providing them with food.

"Thank God for the honourable, said Saamu. He has delivered us from the class of people who eat once a day. May he live forever."

Eniola is convinced to go to the hounarable's house for lunch that afternoon. He meets many people there for the same reason, from young to old. Eniola is excited to get so much food. He takes some to his family, too.

Milton Friedman was right when he said, "There is no free lunch in this world." The price that Eniola pays is the crunchiest of all. He becomes a thug, used by the honourable to intimidate his opponents during the election. Eniola realises that he cannot be a criminal.

All these decisions are a cry to get out of poverty, and he loses his sister in the process.

It is a reality in many African countries where politicians, who are meant to represent the people, bring sorrow and misery to the same people they represent. Young people are turned into criminals. Loved ones disappear with no trace.

Adebayo skilfully suggests that good and bad things can happen to anyone, regardless of social class. We see this when Eniola mourns his sister’s death and when Wulaora grieves the love she lost—family tragedy and what could have been.

A Spell of Good Things is about the impact of politics and politicians in any society. It is about corruption and broken systems, from school to health systems, broken families, and broken hopes and dreams.

This book will leave you with questions about your community and its politics, particularly when it comes to accountability. Is this the reality people should accept? It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand more about societal inequalities.

Jane Shussa is passionate about books, coffee, nature, and travel. She serves as a Senior Digital Communications Officer for Twaweza East Africa.