We’re thrilled to be welcoming Ayòbámi Adébáyò, the Women’s Prize shortlisted author of Stay With Me, to the shop for the launch of A SPELL OF GOOD THINGS – her dazzling new novel set in modern Nigeria about family secrets and bonds, thwarted hope and the brutal realities of life in a society rife with inequality. Ayòbámi will be in conversation with Simon Savidge.

About the book:

Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. His father has lost his job, so Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging, dreaming of a big future.

Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of family friends.

When a local politician takes an interest in Eniola and sudden violence shatters a family party, Wuraola and Eniola’s lives become intertwined. In this breathtaking novel, Ayòbámi Adébáyò shines her light on Nigeria, on the gaping divide between the haves and the have-nots, and the shared humanity that lives in between.

About the author:

Ayòbámi Adébáyò was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her debut novel, Stay With Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature, was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize for Women’s Fiction, the Wellcome Book Prize and the Kwani? Manuscript Prize. It has been translated into twenty languages and the French translation was awarded the Prix Les Afriques. Longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award, Stay With Me was a New York Times, Guardian, Chicago Tribune and NPR Best Book of the Year. Ayòbámi Adébàyò splits her time between Norwich and Lagos.#

Doors: 6.30, starts: 6.45

Tickets are £3.00 or free when pre-ordering a copy of the book. A SPELL OF GOOD THINGS will also be available to purchase on the night and Ayòbámi will be signing copies after the talk. If you would like a signed copy but cannot make the event, please contact us on 0161 274 3331 or manchester@blackwell.co.uk and we can arrange this for you.