I Do Not Come to You by Chance

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

May 2009 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

'Sparklingly funny' Wired Magazine

'[Nwaubani] not merely explores a side of modern existence that touches millions every day, but does so with wit, warmth and insight' Independent

'Beautifully written' Sunday Herald

Kingsley is fresh out of university, eager to find an engineering job so he can support his family and marry the girl of his dreams. Being the opara of the family, he is entitled to certain privileges - a piece of meat in his egusi soup, a party to celebrate his graduation. But times are hard in Nigeria and jobs are not easy to come by.

For much of his young life, Kingsley believed that education was everything, that through wisdom, all things were possible. But when a tragedy befalls his family, Kingsley learns the hardest lesson of all: education may be the language of success in his country, but it is money that does the talking. In desperation he turns to his uncle, Boniface-aka Cash Daddy-an exuberant character who suffers from elephantiasis of the pocket.

He is also rumoured to run a successful empire of email scams. But he can help. With Cash Daddy's intervention, Kingsley and his family can be as safe as a tortoise under its shell. It is up to Kingsley now, to reconcile his passion for knowledge with his hunger for money, to fully assume his role of first son. But can he do it without being drawn into this outlandish milieu?

Ratings and reviews

This book looks at a world many of us know little about, however, we relate so personally with the characters in this dark world and it's this conflict that makes it such an amazing story. I loved this story, such a constant conflict between cheering on the main character and knowing that what he is doing is wrong. beautiful story. I look forward to more of this author. more! more!

Well written and engaging throughout.

Interesting read

About the author

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani grew up in the eastern part of Nigeria, among the Igbo speaking people-the major culprits of 419 scams . She lives in Nigeria. I DO NOT COME TO YOU BY CHANCE is her first novel. It won a Betty Trask Award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa), and was a finalist for the 2010 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.