Sefi Atta

It is 1975 Nigeria. Remi Lawal mets an American, Frances Cooke, at an exhibition of work by a notable bead-maker. Frances is a collector of artisan glass beads, and Remi has a small shop selling greeting cards, postcards…etc. The two women quickly become friends and share much about each other’s lives (much to the dismay of Remi’s husband who can’t shake the idea that Frances might be CIA).

As the two women continue to talk, they compare and contrast their countries, and cover endless other topics, all fascinating for a reader interested in Africa generally and Nigeria specifically. The initial story seems to recede and one realizes that Nigeria is yet another character in the book.

My poor review here–I have waited too long after finishing the book to write my comments–should not reflect negatively on this interesting book. It’s a bit more congested than her previous books, but worth expending the patience. I also wondered why 1975 Nigeria instead of current day? I have read all of Atta’s works over the years and they are all worthwhile reads.… (lisätietoja)

Everything Good Will Come is a novel about Enitan, a child of Nigeria, a child of privilege, a child who becomes a young woman, who through the process of fulfilling one dream, the dream of becoming a mother also fulfills another dream, one that had existed, unspoken, but constantly present in her inner unrest, the dream of becoming not just a woman, but a person who decides for herself, not just accepting the decisions others make for her, a citizen.

Much of the beginnings of the book are rooted in Enitan's childhood, in her friendship with Sheri, and in the ways she is both sheltered and privileged. In some ways the book seems like two novels, the novel of the young Enitan and Sheri, which occupies the first two sections of the novel, and a second novel about Enitan's road to self-actualization. In truth the first part is just the necessary underlayment for the second, but the reader may be surprised by the shift, and it does in fact take some time for the structure to play out, and the interleaving of thoughts, memories, stories, to coalesce.

I personally found the last portion of the novel to be the strongest but I can admit that it took some time and patience for me to grow into the rhythm of the narrative. Enitan is not always likable, but he is human, and thoughtful, and kind. She is also argumentative, and she struggles with her own demons, her thoughts often sabotaging her own happiness.

Her father always told her that people have choices. He didn't say that those choices were equal, in his world-view they were not. But Enitan also realizes that choice is a "condition of the mind" and that most of the time "I was as conscious of making choices as I was of breathing." As are most of us.

Atta takes care to show us how Enitan's thoughts and actions develop and evolve, often in small steps, often repeating and circling back upon themselves. How she struggles with her own internal dialogue about separating the personal from the political, the way that life is compartmentalized in her milieu, and her gradual realization that she cannot separate the two, that the personal and the political are one and the same.

There are flaws in the narrative, spaces where the prose shimmers with light, and other places where this reader stumbles. I can see how readers may become lost in the weeds, but through it all, I do think Sefi Atta achieves something marvelous here, and the book is well worth reading.

Favorite passage:
"When people speak of turning points in their lives it makes me wonder. I can't think of one moment that me me an advocate for woman prisoners in my country. Before this, I had opportunities to take action, only to end up behaving in ways I was accustomed; courting the same old frustrations because I was sure of what I would feel: wronged, helpless, stuck in a day when I was fourteen years old. Here it is: changes came after I made them, each one small. I walked up a stair. Easy. I took off a head wrap. Very Easy. I packed a suitcase, carried it downstairs, put it in my car. When situations became trickier my tasks became smaller. My husband asked why I was leaving him. "I have to," I replied. three words; I could say them. "What kind of woman are you?" Not a word. "Wouldn't you have tried to stop me too?" he asked. Probably, but he wouldn't have had to leave me to do what he wanted.… (lisätietoja)

This is a novel about the immigrant experience of a Nigerian family that wins a lottery to come to the US. The father is an academic and went along with his wife that it would be good for them to leave Nigeria. He is the narrator and the novel follows them from staying with a relative in Queens to moving to a house in New Jersey as he gets a nursing license and he struggles to get an academic job while working as a security guard. According to his wife, he is obsessed with race, but his views are nuanced and very interesting. Overall an excellent story that rings true and leaves you thinking about it long after finishing.… (lisätietoja)

Lukmon hadn't been keen on immigrating to America, but his wife, Moriam, was a force not lightly denied. She convinced him that their two children would get better educations in the US than in Nigeria, and, educated in London himself, he let himself be convinced. They first stay with his cousin in New Jersey, but soon find their own place. Moriam begins studying for the nursing credentials she needs to practice in the US, and Lukmon begins looking for a job in academia.

Moriam and the kids seem to adjust relatively easily, but Lukmon has a harder time. For him, racism in the US is a complex and pervasive force that is a constant threat to his family.

I was so prepared for being black in America that I could separate the racist from the person and deal with the unracist part of them. In fact, racism was a given now. Yes, because it was safer for me to assume white people were racist until proven otherwise. It was also reasonable to, because if I were white, it would take a lot of effort not to be racist in America. You passed someone sleeping on a street, what color was he or she likely to be? You watched breaking news about an innocent suspect shot to death by the police, well, you could easily misconstrue that black people were inferior.

As for black-on-black crime, or whatever it was called, I wasn't worried about that. I was coming from a country where practically every crime committed was black on black.

As he tries to untangle both interracial and intra-racial relationships in America, he find himself becoming isolated from his wife and children. To them, he is making everything a race issue. To him, they are denying essential parts of themselves in order to fit in.

I was winding {Moriam} up again and she was in no mood. To be honest I was nervous about meeting Alice's parents. I hoped they were my kind of immigrants—bad ones, not the kind who aspired to be honorary whites.

For most of the book, Lukmon is an observer, and the reader sees everything—race, politics, gender roles—through his eyes. It is only at the very end of the book that he acts, and it is in an unexpected and uncomfortable way.

I was very impressed with this novel, the first I've read by Atta. The writing is superb, the plot compelling, and the ideas thought-provoking. The characters are complex, with no easy passes for anyone. It's a book that begs to be discussed, and it would make a great book club selection.… (lisätietoja)