18 Top fiction books like A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

Cover of A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

A Spell of Good Things

By: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

3.79

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

Ayobami Adebayo, the celebrated author of Stay With Me unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria a…

"Time was unforgiving, it didn’t stop, not even to give people a chance to scrape themselves off the floor if they’d been shattered."

-Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things

"He stared back at her, unconcerned. She had always marvelled at his calm assurance that everything good in his life would either remain the same or get better. He took good fortune for granted. As though it were impossible that it would abide only for a spell. She had never been able to shake the sense that life was war, a series of battles with the occasional spell of good things."

-Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things

If you liked the fiction plot in A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ , here is a list of 18 books like this:

1. I Do Not Come to You by Chance

By: Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

4.12

Format: 314 pages, Paperback

A deeply moving debut novel set amid the perilous world of Nigerian email scams, I Do Not Come to Y… read more

Similar categories in Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's I Do Not Come to You by Chance book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

Cover of Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry

2. Old God's Time

By: Sebastian Barry

3.85

Format: 261 pages, Hardcover

From the two-time Booker Prize finalist author, a dazzlingly written novel exploring love, memory, … read more

Similar categories in Sebastian Barry's Old God's Time book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • audiobook
"Per ell aquest era el sentit de la jubilació, de l'existència: estar-de immòbil, feliç i inútil"

-Sebastian Barry, Old God's Time

"Per ell aquest era el sentit de la jubilació, de l'existència: estar-se immòbil, feliç i inútil"

-Sebastian Barry, Old God's Time

"No one minds life as long as they are not trying to leave it. Nor death, as long as they are not dying."

-Sebastian Barry, Old God's Time

Cover of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

3. If I Survive You

By: Jonathan Escoffery

3.69

Format: 260 pages, Hardcover

In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. … read more

Similar categories in Jonathan Escoffery's If I Survive You book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • adult
  • audiobook
"What does Whiteness feel like?... I imagine it's like walking barefoot…"

-Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You

"Why don't stars make any sounds in the winter? What sounds? Ethan said."

-Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You

"Every boy deserves to believe him father is good, but if each father were good, we’d be living in a different kind of world."

-Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You

"I imagined I could have begged an old girlfriend from college to send money; enough of them had expressed ambivalence about their trust funds that this seemed a plausible path down which I might drag…"

-Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You

Cover of The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

4. The House of Doors

By: Tan Twan Eng

4.14

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

A spellbinding novel about love and betrayal, colonialism and revolution, storytelling and redempti… read more

Similar categories in Tan Twan Eng's The House of Doors book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • audiobook
  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • novels
"Money's the sixth sense. If you don't have it, you can't make … the most of the other five."

-Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors

"I feel that when I travel I can change myself a little, and I return from a journey not quite the same self I was."

-Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors

"That night, side by side, we drifted among the galaxies of sea-stars, while far, far above us the asterisks of light marked out the footnotes on the page of eternity."

-Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors

"All of us will be forgotten eventually. Like a wave on the ocean, leaving no trace that it had once existed.' He shook his head. 'We will be remembered through our stories."

-Tan Twan Eng, The House of Doors

Cover of A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

5. A Spell of Good Things

By: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

3.79

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

Ayobami Adebayo, the celebrated author of Stay With Me unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria a… read more

Similar categories in Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • cultural
  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • nigeria
  • novels
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
  • adult
  • audiobook
"Time was unforgiving, it didn’t stop, not even to give people a chance to scrape themselves off the floor if they’d been shattered."

-Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things

"He stared back at her, unconcerned. She had always marvelled at his calm assurance that everything good in his life would either remain the same or get better. He took good fortune for granted. As th…"

-Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, A Spell of Good Things

Cover of This Other Eden by Paul Harding

6. This Other Eden

By: Paul Harding

3.78

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

Set at the beginning of the twentieth century and inspired by historical events, This Other Eden te… read more

Similar categories in Paul Harding's This Other Eden book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • audiobook
  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • novels
Cover of How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney

7. How to Build a Boat

By: Elaine Feeney

3.78

Format: 298 pages, Paperback

This is the story of a remarkable boy and his search for his mother, told with warmth, tenderness a… read more

Similar categories in Elaine Feeney's How to Build a Boat book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
"To some, the world is filled with threats. To others, opportunities."

-Elaine Feeney, How to Build a Boat

"That's dedication and if life's taught me anything, we go to what we love, eventually - we mightn't find it straight away, but we get there."

-Elaine Feeney, How to Build a Boat

"...[W]hile language came readily to Tess when dealing with herself alone, having one-way conversations over all of her choices on her long walks in the woods, or on her way to school, now she no long…"

-Elaine Feeney, How to Build a Boat

"How can I miss someone I have never met? Jamie said. Grief was profoundly different for both humans. One felt an intense anger he had never recovered from, the other knew something was missing, a vac…"

-Elaine Feeney, How to Build a Boat

Cover of All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow

8. All the Little Bird-Hearts

By: Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow

3.80

Format: 297 pages, Hardcover

Sunday lives with her sixteen year old daughter Dolly, the same house she has lived in all her life… read more

Similar categories in Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow's All the Little Bird-Hearts book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
Cover of Tomorrow I Become a Woman by Aiwanose Odafen

9. Tomorrow I Become a Woman

By: Aiwanose Odafen

4.24

Format: None pages, Audiobook

What can I do?’ she asked. You can fight, I thought, you can fight for your daughters. But then aga… read more

Similar categories in Aiwanose Odafen's Tomorrow I Become a Woman book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • nigeria
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
  • audiobook
Cover of Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

10. Study for Obedience

By: Sarah Bernstein

3.05

Format: 192 pages, Hardcover

A haunting, compressed masterwork from an extraordinary new voice in Canadian fiction. A young w… read more

Similar categories in Sarah Bernstein's Study for Obedience book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
"I try always to be good."

-Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience

"How, I wondered, might a person, a people, take root, roots and rootlessness, the preservation of what little remains of the past, such were thoughts that blew through me on any given morning, standi…"

-Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience

"In taking a side, I thought uneasily, perhaps I ought to take the long view, the survival of the species as a whole. That was my problem, I thought, I was always thinking at the level of the individu…"

-Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience

"I had hoped that here in the country I would experience the turn of the seasons differently, with less apprehension, I might come to see the form and plan of the world. Not to frame it within systems…"

-Sarah Bernstein, Study for Obedience

Cover of Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

11. Western Lane

By: Chetna Maroo

3.51

Format: 160 pages, Hardcover

Shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize A taut, enthralling first novel about grief, sisterhood, a… read more

Similar categories in Chetna Maroo's Western Lane book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
Cover of In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

12. In Ascension

By: Martin MacInnes

3.79

Format: 496 pages, Paperback

An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the oc… read more

Similar categories in Martin MacInnes's In Ascension book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
"I questioned what else I had already missed so far, in my own life, simply through the limits of my character."

-Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

"Once he had committed to this life, there was no way he could get out of it. He was angry at us, his daughters, because the financial demands of our existence bound him to it."

-Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

"I kind of love it. It's so macabre. The reason we haven't seen or heard from anything off-world is that reaching off-world status is a civilisational death knell. Life either gets stuck there or dest…"

-Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

"The air was thick with teeming life, just as the oceans and the rivers were. A spoonful of seawater or a pinch of soil between your fingers held billions of living things. We were blind to this out o…"

-Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

Cover of A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks

13. A Broken People's Playlist

By: Chimeka Garricks

4.33

Format: 224 pages, Paperback

A Broken People’s Playlist is a collection of short stories with underlying themes so beautifully w… read more

Similar categories in Chimeka Garricks's A Broken People's Playlist book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • nigeria
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
"They will ask me when I first knew I was in love with you. I will sign and say I don't know. It happened in fragments, piece by piece, separate moments over the years. Moments - that's how I remember…"

-Chimeka Garricks, A Broken People's Playlist

Cover of Ogadinma Or, Everything Will Be All Right by Ukamaka Olisakwe

14. Ogadinma Or, Everything Will Be All Right

By: Ukamaka Olisakwe

3.98

Format: 256 pages, Paperback

Ogadinma Or, Everything Will be All Right tells the story of the naïve and trusting teenager Ogadin… read more

Similar categories in Ukamaka Olisakwe's Ogadinma Or, Everything Will Be All Right book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • nigeria
  • novels
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
  • audiobook
Cover of Pearl by Siân Hughes

15. Pearl

By: Siân Hughes

3.91

Format: 220 pages, Paperback

A haunting debut novel inspired by the medieval poem of the same name Marianne is eight years ol… read more

Similar categories in Siân Hughes's Pearl book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • novels
  • adult
  • audiobook
Cover of The Mechanics of Yenagoa by Michael Afenfia

16. The Mechanics of Yenagoa

By: Michael Afenfia

3.84

Format: 305 pages, Paperback

Ebinimi, star mechanic of Kalakala Street, is a man with a hapless knack for getting in and out of … read more

Similar categories in Michael Afenfia's The Mechanics of Yenagoa book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • africa
  • nigeria
  • novels
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
Cover of The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe

17. The Middle Daughter

By: Chika Unigwe

3.83

Format: None pages, Hardcover

A lush, powerful tale of family and sisterhood from award-winning author Chika Unigwe, perfect for … read more

Similar categories in Chika Unigwe's The Middle Daughter book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • nigeria
  • novels
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
  • audiobook
Cover of Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie

18. Nightbloom

By: Peace Adzo Medie

3.96

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

Peace Adzo Medie, author of Reese’s Book Club pick His Only Wife , returns with a moving novel abou… read more

Similar categories in Peace Adzo Medie's Nightbloom book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • literary fiction
  • africa
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • african literature
  • adult
  • audiobook
Cover of Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku

19. Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow

By: Damilare Kuku

3.68

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

Humor and poignance mix in this powerful polyphonic novel about family secrets, judgmental aunties,… read more

Similar categories in Damilare Kuku's Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

  • africa
  • nigeria
  • fiction
  • african literature
  • adult
Cover of Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Three (Ife) by Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi

20. Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Three (Ife)

By: Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi

4.17

Format: None pages, None

Beautiful, alluring and a lover of the good life, Ife has always used men to get what she wants. Sh… read more

Similar categories in Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi's Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Three (Ife) book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

Cover of Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Two (Isioma) by Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi

21. Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Two (Isioma)

By: Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi

3.77

Format: 328 pages, None

Isioma is left heartbroken when an encounter with the debonair Karibi Graham-Hart turns out to be a… read more

Similar categories in Adesuwa O'man Nwokedi's Ginika's Bridesmaids: Book Two (Isioma) book and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s A Spell of Good Things

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3.85

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3.69

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Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

3.79

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Chimeka Garricks

3.87

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Lola Shoneyin

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