Everything Good Will Come

(Paperback)

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Description

It is 1971, a year after the Biafran War, and Nigeria is under military rule. The politics of the state matter less to eleven-year-old Enitan than whether her mother, now deeply religious since the death of Enitan's brother, will allow her friendship with the new girl next door, the brash and beautiful Sheri Bakare.

Everything Good Will Come charts the unusual friendship and fate of these two girls one who is prepared to manipulate the traditional system and one who attempts to defy it.

Enitan's is the story of a fiercely intelligent, strong young woman coming of age in a culture that still insists on feminine submission. She sees the poverty and knows about the brutal military dictatorship but it is not until politics invades her own family that she defies her husband and moves from bystander to activist. She bucks the familial and political systems until she is confronted with the one desire that is too precious to forfeit in the name of personal freedom her desire for a child.

'An original, witty coming-of-age tale...an iridescent introduction to a fascinating nation.' Observer Magazine

'There is wit, intelligence and a delicious irreverence in this book.' Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists

Reviews

There is wit, intelligence and a delicious irreverence in this book. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; A classic of world literature, this beautifully written, funny and piercingly honest story. School Depot; Everything Good Will Come is a profound story that showcased a myriad of themes from friendships, family, womanhood, feminism to the culture/traditions and politics in Nigeria. Sefi Atta is an amazing writer and she took us on an unforgettable journey. She wrote characters so flawed and relatable. This is one of my favourite books ever... such a timeless piece of work. When I think of how we young people in Nigeria have made our voices heard in the past few weeks, I cant help but feel like everything good will come eventually. We cant give up. Tosin, Bookstagrammer; Whenever I am down and faced with lifes personal challenges or bogged down by the problems of Nigeria especially, I find that phrase Everything Good Will Come in pink and green neon bar lights unconsciously flashing in my head and calming my spirit down. If you get the chance pick this book up. Adaure Achumba; [A] book of spirit and an inspiration for anyone who has ever been in opposition to societal or cultural norms. Bloomsbury Review; A literary masterpiece... Everything Good Will Come put me into a spell from the first page to the very last... It portrays the complicated society and history of Nigeria through brilliant prose. World Literature Today; Beautifully paced... a country struggling to find its post-Independence identity. TLS; Every part is reawakened and alive: red, throbbing, like the heartbeat of a healthy newborn... I was sorry when I came to the end. Buchi Emecheta; ''An original, witty coming-of-age tale... an iridescent introduction to a fascinating nation.' Observer Magazine.

Author Bio

Sefi Atta is the author of Swallow, News from Home, A Bit of Difference and Sefi Atta: Selected Plays. Sefi has received several literary awards, including the 2006 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and the 2009 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. Her radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC and her stage plays have been performed internationally. She divides her time between the USA, UK and Nigeria. Sefi Attas writing features in New Daughters of Africa, an anthology of women writers of African descent, edited by Margaret Busby. Everything Good Will Come and The Bead Collector were published in August 2019 and are available to buy now.