I Do Not Come to You By Chance

In this novel we meet the larger than life characters behind the Nigerian email scams – the so-called 419ers. It isn’t a book that seeks to excuse, justify or apologise for this lucrative “business”, what it provides is a perspective on it: an African perspective. As the central character Kingsley, an upstanding and educated citizen, struggling to find employment and battling with the vagaries of the Nigerian health system, finds himself sucked into the life of the fraudster, it is hard not to empathise with him.

I loved the author’s writing style. She has a way of describing things that is flamboyant and fun and which hits the mark perfectly. For example, the bit where Kingsley is called upon to read his friend’s show more self-published book: “...At least nine muscular typographical errors rose from the page and gave me a slap across the face”. That gave me a laugh as well as a wry smile of solidarity. Who in this modern world of publishing for all hasn’t had such an experience?

The author’s mischievous wit finds its mark brilliantly when aimed at the West – it holds up a mirror and invites us to confront our own misconceptions about Africans, and consider how they might view us. It was an enjoyable and eloquent education, and already a front-runner for my read of the year. show less

This was exactly the type of world lit book I enjoy reading. It is set in Nigeria and written by a Nigerian, so it felt like I was reading the story from within, from that perspective. It disobeyed all the rules of how to write about Africa, set out in that tongue-in-cheek Granta article several years ago ( http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-to-Write-about-Africa/Page-1 by [a:Binyavanga Wainaina|681372|Binyavanga Wainaina|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg].

The story centres around a likeable fellow from an honest and hard-working family who highly value education. Despite getting his engineering degree, he can't get a job, and he eventually falls into the 419 scamming show more industry, working for his highly successful uncle.
It is fascinating to learn more about that scam, and how it is perceived in Nigerian society, but the book is really about how the young man balances the expectations and beliefs of his family with his own desires. It gave a sense of what life is like for some people there. It was often light-hearted and funny.

"There were many possible explanations for the atrocious traffic in Lagos—population explosion, insufficient mass transit, tokunbo vehicles going kaput, potholes in the roads, undisciplined drivers, random police checkpoints, and fuel queues. But in Cash Daddy’s opinion, the go-slow started whenever the devil and his wives were on their way to the market. I think he was right."

A highly enjoyable and well-written book, recommended. show less

Augustina/Ozoemena's mother died in childbirth, a sin in Nigeria. It is as if this terrible event had cast a long shadow on the family; one that would follow Augustina into adulthood. Her family of five is wallowing in debt, made worse when her husband falls ill and dies of a stroke. Her son, Kingsley Onyeaghalanwanneya Ibe, being the opara of the family, has been tasked with borrowing money from rich Uncle Boniface. Everyone knows him as Cash Daddy. It is an embarrassment for the family because Cash Daddy does not come by his wealth honestly. There is something dark and dangerous about his lifestyle. But Kingsley can't come by work honestly; he can't afford his girlfriend's bride price; he can't afford to be the man of the house show more without a job. What's the saying? Desperate times call for desperate measures. Despite Kingsley's reluctance to borrow from Cash Daddy he does so, again and again. This debt ensnares him in his uncle's world of big corporate scams. Education may have its respectable place, but money moves the world and makes things happen. show less

This is the second book by a Nigerian author that I’ve read this year, and although I’ve given it the same rating I issued Half of a Yellow Sun, this one has a completely different tone.

Set in modern Nigeria, this book follows Kingsley Ibe, a young village man, who wants to fulfill the responsibilities of oldest son and is encouraged to do so by his traditional parents, who think that education is still the way to a well-paying job. But rapid changes in modern society have altered “the rules” and Kingsley finds himself turning to a black sheep uncle who involves him in 419 schemes. Despite the subject matter, this novel is almost light-hearted – and outstandingly enjoyable.

Read this if: you’re interested in those ubiquitous show more emails scams from the “other” side. 4½ stars show less

I Do Not Come to You by Chance is fascinating from the stand point of the setting. As a novice on Nigerian culture & history, I found Nwaubani's loving and honest depiction fascinating. Kingsley's struggle as the opara of his family, who is therefore obligated to provide for his younger siblings and ailing mother, but who doesn't have the "long-leg" to get a job using his degree is both manifestly Nigerian and understandable to anyone who has loved academia. Nwaubani takes care to paint the "419 scams" as both necessary and repulsive, successfully depicting a morally ambiguous area.

However, the book falls flat of the mark when it comes to pacing. The plot, such as it is, goes little further than the back of the book and somehow show more stretches across 400 pages. Character development is fleeting (the only development I noticed was when Kingsley finally realized that he had been either doing what his father said or what Cash Daddy said his whole life, which he realized almost word-for-word as I have typed and then did not reflect on that or change his behavior at all.) The setting alone was not enough to hold my interest; a huge part of the appeal of the book for me was hoping to see change & when I realized none was forthcoming, I finished the last 100 pages at a run mostly to get it finished. show less

'Do you think this is the sort of life I wanted to live? Do you think I had much choice?', 6 Nov. 2012

Light but entertaining read following a promising young Nigerian Chemical Engineering graduate Kingsley. Although he's followed his parents' advice, he finds things just aren't working out - he can't get a job without having friends on the inside. His being reliant on pocket money is causing his beloved Ola to start looking elsewhere. And when his father falls ill, he's forced to ask for money from Uncle Boniface aka 'Cash Daddy'. This uncle has made a fortune from internet scamming and soon offers his nephew a job. Will the respectable Kingsley overcome his decent upbringing?
Quite humorous in parts; the crazy scams that take in a few show more white recipients. Also makes you think about the background of the senders in a country where there's no welfare and you have to fend for yourself. It's not great literature but it absolutely kept me reading! show less

This was exactly the type of world lit book I enjoy reading. It is set in Nigeria and written by a Nigerian, so it felt like I was reading the story from within, from that perspective. It disobeyed all the rules of how to write about Africa, set out in that tongue-in-cheek Granta article several years ago ( http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-to-Write-about-Africa/Page-1 by [a:Binyavanga Wainaina|681372|Binyavanga Wainaina|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg].

The story centres around a likeable fellow from an honest and hard-working family who highly value education. Despite getting his engineering degree, he can't get a job, and he eventually falls into the 419 scamming show more industry, working for his highly successful uncle.
It is fascinating to learn more about that scam, and how it is perceived in Nigerian society, but the book is really about how the young man balances the expectations and beliefs of his family with his own desires. It gave a sense of what life is like for some people there. It was often light-hearted and funny.

"There were many possible explanations for the atrocious traffic in Lagos—population explosion, insufficient mass transit, tokunbo vehicles going kaput, potholes in the roads, undisciplined drivers, random police checkpoints, and fuel queues. But in Cash Daddy’s opinion, the go-slow started whenever the devil and his wives were on their way to the market. I think he was right."

A highly enjoyable and well-written book, recommended. show less