- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Arris Books (13 Jan 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1844370569
- ISBN-13: 978-1844370566
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.6 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,549,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
The Observer
You can feel the dust and the sun. This award-winning novel is an iridescent introduction to a fascinating nation.
Book Description
Everything Good Will Come introduces an important new voice in contemporary fiction. It is 1971, a year after the Biafran War, and Nigeria is under military rule - though the politics of the state matter less than those of her home to Enitan Taiwo, an eleven-year-old girl tired of waiting for school to start. Will her mother, who has become deeply religious since the death of Taiwo's brother, allow her friendship with the new girl next door, the brash and beautiful Sheri Bakare? Everything Good Will Come charts the fate of these two African girls, one born of privilege and the other, a lower class "half-caste"; one who is prepared to manipulate the traditional system while the other attempts to defy it.
Written in the voice of Enitan, the novel traces this unusual friendship into their adult lives, against the backdrop of tragedy, family strife, and a war-torn Nigeria. In the end, Everything Good Will Come is Enitan's story; one of a fiercely intelligent, strong young woman coming of age in a culture that still insists on feminine submission. Enitan bucks the familial and political systems until she is confronted with the one desire too precious to forfeit in the name of personal freedom: her desire for a child. Everything Good Will Come evokes the sights and smells of Africa while imparting a wise and universal story of love, friendship, prejudice, survival, politics, and the cost of divided loyalties.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Sefi Atta writes with amazing clarity and with such depth that the reader is drawn into a world, that many would ordinarily find very difficult to relate to or even visualise. Her depiction of Lagos society covers every facet of the multi-dimensional network in which Nigerians persistently struggle to survive. Through Enitan's brilliant and incredibly intelligent narrative, we see vividly the different layers of individual interaction - the individual struggling with himself and his identity, the individual within his/her family (and the plight of each woman is presented in an insightful yet atypical manner), the individual within society and more potently as a political animal.
As a Nigerian who has always felt a profound connection to her home country, I found myself amassing a wealth of knowledge with every page. Like Enitan, as a little girl I lived in complete bliss and ignorance at a time when my country was in utter chaos. I was touched by her honest portrayal of Nigeria's deep-rooted problems, as well as by her ability to make me laugh out loud even in the most dangerous scenario. Having read this, one is left with a vast array of issues to consider.
As a Nigerian who has always felt a profound connection to her home country, I found myself amassing a wealth of knowledge with every page. Like Enitan, as a little girl I lived in complete bliss and ignorance at a time when my country was in utter chaos. I was touched by her honest portrayal of Nigeria's deep-rooted problems, as well as by her ability to make me laugh out loud even in the most dangerous scenario. Having read this, one is left with a vast array of issues to consider.
To quote Sefi Atta: "the story itself is a study of power, and the characters that Enitan interacts with are like landmarks on the route she takes towards empowering herself."
This may not have been a very clear expression of how fabulous this book is, but I needed to say something if only to encourage someone to read it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
...vivid description of personal, societal & global pressures on an educated nigerian woman
6 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback
this book is an unparalleled vivid description of the numerous 'conflicts' that an educated nigerian (or african) woman had to face in the late 1990s.
Enitan was brought up to be good and work hard while negotiating the complex relationship between her parents. Later in life, conflicts arise from her desire to be 'truly' free of the limitations imposed by society, biology and a lawless nigeria.
Overall a good book, i think the end is a disappointing letdown. She appears to have a breakdown and pursues the 'bitter' way like her mother did (where is the progress?)
Enitan was brought up to be good and work hard while negotiating the complex relationship between her parents. Later in life, conflicts arise from her desire to be 'truly' free of the limitations imposed by society, biology and a lawless nigeria.
Overall a good book, i think the end is a disappointing letdown. She appears to have a breakdown and pursues the 'bitter' way like her mother did (where is the progress?)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having lived in Lagos, Nigeria, myself, this novel takes me right back to the intrigate politics and unyielding military rule against a drop-back of tribal strife, crime, mal-functioning society, crowded streets and dilapidated buildings. The female protagonist is well portrayed, her husband difficult to grasp.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Love Sefi's books
I know writers do a lot of research to write their books but i believe you have to either have lived in Nigeria or be a Nigerian to understand the amount of research that must... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dawizzmomma
Alright but....
The start of the book really got me into it, but the book sort of lost me halfway through. There were times it felt like an exposition or an essay with too many issues and... Read more
Published on 27 May 2009 by MissSunshine
A very strong debut novel..
This is another one of those impressive debuts that make writing a first novel look a lot easier than it probably is. Read more
Published on 22 May 2009 by BlestMiss T
Most enjoyable
Id read a critic about this book in a french newspaper and since I often go to Lagos I thought it may be interesting. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2009 by Tribale
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