Book review: I Do Not Come To You By Chance

I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, pp352, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, £7.99

Perhaps  fraudulent emails (419 scams ) don’t normally hold your attention longer than the seconds taken to delete them from your inbox. Nwaubani transforms 419 scammers and their world into fresh subject matter for her humorous debut novel I Do Not Come To You By Chance. The narrative centres on Kinglsey , university graduate and son of proud Nigerian parents, who finds himself having to navigate between respectable poverty and disreputable wealth.

A strong oral tradition informs I do not come to you by chance. On one level this emerges through a plethora of thought-provoking and entertaining Igbo proverbs that find a mouthpiece in the character of Cash Daddy (Kingsley’s uncle). These proverbs alone provide a cultural education for the non-Nigerian reader. Oral tradition appears to have influenced Nwaubani, who has crafted a novel that flows with infinitely readable ease. She is a gifted storyteller.

With an engaging plot, the novel is lively throughout. I Do Not Come To You By Chance builds to the expected climax of action towards the end, but the plot’s crescendo feels disappointingly small. This may simply be because the subject matter is already dramatic and therefore the plot can only be taken so far without it tipping into excess. Nevertheless, in the absence of late-stage fireworks or unexpected twists, there is still more than enough in this piece of fiction to keep the reader interested.

The large figure of Cash Daddy is the source of much of the novel’s humour, yet his character also points to some of the book’s insightful observations. By quoting traditional Igbo and also biblical wisdom whilst employing a technology of post-modernity (the internet) to increase his wealth, Cash Daddy captures some of the complexity of urban identities in the developing world. Beneath the novel’s laughs lie poignant critiques of consumer culture as adopted in Nigeria (and many places besides).

I Do Not Come To You By Chance is a fresh, fun and lively novel. Look no further for something to read this summer.