For every unsatisfying end to a book, there’s a unique reaction. Be it hissing, and then delving into another book, or staring into space, trying to make sense of what happened, constantly re-asking ‘Just like that?’ - Whatever reaction, it’s worth it because at that moment, every buildup that held on, looking forward to the very end, is left hanging.
I finished reading the book ‘I do not come to you by Chance’, written by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, last night, and all I could do after, was sigh and go to bed, rewriting the end in my head, to one I deemed satisfying.
Synopsis
The book opens with Augustina, a young girl is sent to go an live with her aunt who is a tailor, to learn a tailoring skill. There, she meets Pauline’s, a friend to her in law who takes interest in her.
Fast forward to years later, Augustina is married to Pauline’s with four kids. Kingsley, their first son, a chemical engineer is unemployed. With his parents meager wages, and his father’s deteriorating health, he looks forward to every letter from the post office, concerning job offers. And for every no, his view of self diminishes.
Having his father’s death and a messy breakup to deal with, Kingsley gives up on the Nigerian corporate sector, and takes up another line of work. A line of work that changes his life, for better or for worse.
My Review
Tricia’s writing style was one I found admirable. She wrote in a way that was poetic, that I didn’t need to look elsewhere for breaths of fresh air. Her narration, and emphasis were soothing and took me on a soft ride through Kingsley’s life. Everything our character was going through, was felt in spades through her writing, and that’s something I liked. It made the experience a little bit worth it.
This was a particularly hooking story. Any story that has to deal with determined and ambitious characters, will always be IT for me. From Augustina and Pauline’s love story, to Kingsley’s life, I enjoyed reading about it. This slow paced story had me looking out for Kingsley, feeling sad where misfortunes happened, laughing out loud where someone acted stupidly, and constantly questioning some character’s actions. So yeah, the plot was a good one for me.
Apart from Kingsley and his mom, who seemed to be the main characters, there wasn’t really much backstory to the side characters. Kingsley, being the protagonist in this story, had his actions and thoughts given to us in spades. For his mother, we knew about her from what she uttered. But for other characters like Kingsley’s sibling, they were more like characters in passing, introduced whenever they were needed, than actual side characters. This made it seem as though the story wasn’t developed fully - seeing how the characters always got into the picture when Kingsley needed to realize something.
As for the ending, the readers were cut off from so much aspects of the character’s lives. We were cut off from the most chaotic part of their lives, and given a glimpse into their future. Does that mean we were meant to figure the parts we had missed out on ourselves? When did actual stories become puzzle pieces?
Also, the author’s stance on misogyny, was quite visible in our main character. There were scenes where our character would go ‘I don’t want a woman who would challenge my orders as man of the house’, I quirked my brows every-time I read a statement like this and I waited for someone who would change his mentality. There was none. Apparently, it was okay for Kingsley to think that way. I found this unsettling in the least.
Overall, this read did the job of keeping me entertained while it lasted but sadly, it couldn’t be more. I’ll rate this book a 6/10. It didn’t suck while reading and that’s what? A win I guess😉.
Thanks for reading.
Images are screenshots from my e-library.