Ayobami Adebayo, author of the critically acclaimed novel Stay With Me, will publish her second book in 2022.
Adebayo’s A Spell of Good Things will be published next year by Alfred A. Knopf, the press said in a news release. The novel follows two young Nigerians, one from a poor family and one from a wealthy one, whose lives become intertwined following political unrest in their city.
“I began thinking about this novel in 2013, after a detour compelled me to realize what remained invisible to me in a town that I had long called home,” Adebayo said in a statement. “While it has taken a few years to write a novel I hope illuminates the tangled longings of its characters, I’m excited to share it with readers.”
Adebayo gained considerable literary acclaim in 2017 with the publication of Stay With Me, which a Kirkus reviewer said “marks the emergence of a fine young writer.” The novel was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Knopf Vice President Jennifer Jackson, who will edit Adebayo’s new novel, called it “a stunning step forward for a young writer who was already so impressive.”
“There is no greater pleasure for an editor than to see an author deliver a second novel that exceeds all the promises made by a first,” Jackson said.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
