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Thursday, June 9, 2016

Review : I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Title : I Do Not Come to You by Chance
Author : Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Publication date : May 5th 2009 by Hachette Books 

It is truth universally known that a person that has an email account must have received spam mail on his inbox. I Do Not Come to You by Chance is a book about those vicious e-mails. I still remember the dark days when spam filter was useless and my mailbox was infested with these fake proposals. I hate them with all my heart and when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it and see what it is actually about.

Kingsley Ibe was every parents' dream son. He was intelligent, had a good heart and he obeyed his parents command to the letter. Life was tough in Nigeria, and he realized that his smart brain didn't get him nowhere. Job was impossible to find, he couldn't bring food to the table. He was desperate and help came out of nowhere. He was introduced with quick ways to earn money: the 419 scam.

Well, the first chapter of I Do Not Come to You by Chance looked very promising. It was poetic, beautifully crafted, it earned itself an instant admiration from me. That changed 180 degrees as soon as I started the first chapter. It was a complete letdown and I hate to tell you that it didn't get better as the story advanced

Kingsley Ibe was a lame guy, a sissy that had no backbone. As the oldest son, he had no other skill other than to be a "yes-sir" guy to his parents. We'll, I am all for harmonious parents-children relationship, but gosh, this Kingsley guy was like a robot, he didn't even know what he wanted. How on Earth we as the reader suppose to do about that?

Other characters? Well, I found all of them to be meh and one dimensional. None was strong or memorable enough. In fact, I didn't find anything interesting in this book. Such a shame, because the topic itself is special enough. It's a typical Nigerian scam story, set in Nigeria and written by Nigerian author, but too bad this book couldn't do the stunt.  
My father was a walking encyclopedia, and he flipped his pages with the zeal and precision of a magician. He knew every theory of science and every city in the atlas; he knew every word in the dictionary and every scripture in the Holy Bible. It was such a pity that all the things he knew were not able to put money in his pocket.
If only all the other chapters was as beautiful as the prologue! This is the example and you catch a reader's attention only to disappoint her later. Bad move! 
"Be very very careful. One day you'll be walking down the street and the police will just arrest you because of the way you dress. It's only the fly that doesn't have advisers that ends up in the coffin with the corpse. Don't say I didn't warn you."
2 rating for  I Do Not Come to You by Chance. I can't see myself recommending this to anyone. I didn't enjoy it. Weak plot, weak characters, there are many things that need fixing. I really wanted to love it, especially since this book had sat on my to-read list for years. So, what about you guys? Read anything that sets in exotic countries? Was it good?



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