Foreign Gods, Inc.

(Paperback)

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Description

Foreign Gods, Inc. tells the story of Ike, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver. Despite his degree in economics, his strong accent has barred him from the corporate world. Fuelled by desperation, sets out to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it to a New York gallery. Back in Nigeria, he has to deal with old friends, family and a mounting conflict between Christians and those who worship the deity. A frank exploration of the dreams, promises and frustrations of immigrant life; religious conflict; and modern culture.

Reviews

Praise for Foreign Gods, Inc.

A NPR Great Read of 2014
A Philadelphia Inquirer Best Book of 2014
The Root 15 Best Novels by a Black Author of 2014
A Cleveland Plain Dealer Best Books of 2014 Selection

"Razor-sharp . . . Mr. Ndibe invests his story with enough dark comedy to make Ngene an odoriferous presence in his own right, and certainly not the kind of polite exotic rarity that art collectors are used to . . . In Mr. Ndibes agile hands, hes both a source of satire and an embodiment of pure terror."
Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"A story of sweeping cultural insight and absurd comedy . . . rendered with a stoic power that moves the reader more than histrionics possibly could."
The Washington Post

"Unforgettable . . . Ndibe seems to have a boundless ear fo' the lyrical turns of phrase of the working people of rural Nigeria . . . The wooden deity "has character, an audacious personality,' says one non-African who sees it. So does Ndibe's novel, a page-turning allegory about the globalized world."
Los Angeles Times

"A hard look at the American dream, which seems to be receding further and further into the distance these days."
GQ Magazine

"This is precisely the kind of novel that makes one anti-social. If you find it today, sprint home, throw away your cellphone, bolt the front door and dont worry too much if you are not up in time for church tomorrow."
Daily Nation(Kenya)

We clearly have a fresh talent at work here. It is quite a while since I sensed creative promise on this level.
Wole Soyinka, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

An entertaining, witty adventure . . . Foreign Gods, Inc. is an intelligent, satirical novel that comes highly anticipated and does not disappoint.
The Root

"A morality tale for our time . . . With subtle hints at moral turmoil, a gift for dark humour, and characterisation that is perceptive and neatly observed, Ndibe manages to persuade the reader to root for Ike, even as his haphazard plans begin to unravel."
The Guardian (UK)

"Brims with warmth, vibrancy and color . . . Just about perfect."
Paste Magazine

"Ndibe is a writers writer, and this book is a lesson in the art of the novel."
New York Journal of Books

"Ndibe writes of cultural clash in a moving way that makes Ikes march toward disaster inexorable and ineffably sad."
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

"If youve ever sat in the back of a cab silentlyor not so silentlywondering where your cab driver is from and what his life is like (and really hasnt everyone) then you will be captivated by Nigerian writer Okey Ndibes new novel."
Metro New York

"Wonderfully colorful . . . There's more than a touch of Poe, or perhaps The Twilight Zone, in the surreal conclusion of this story."
The Hartford Courant

Author Bio

Okey Ndibe teaches African and African Diaspora literatures at Brown University. He earned MFA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has taught at Connecticut College, Bard College, Trinity College, and the University of Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). He is also the author of Arrows of Rain and has served on the editorial board of Hartford Courant where his essays won national and state awards. He lives in West Hartford, CT, with his wife, Sheri, and their three children. From the Hardcover edition.