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Foreign Gods, Inc.
From a disciple of the late Chinua Achebe comes a masterful and universally acclaimed novel that is at once a taut, literary thriller and an indictment of greed’s power to subsume all things, including the sacred.
Foreign Gods, Inc., tells the story of Ike, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver who sets out to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it to a New York gallery.
Ike's plan is fueled by desperation. Despite a degree in economics from a major American college, his strong accent has barred him from the corporate world. Forced to eke out a living as a cab driver, he is unable to manage the emotional and material needs of a temperamental African American bride and a widowed mother demanding financial support. When he turns to gambling, his mounting losses compound his woes.
And so he travels back to Nigeria to steal the statue, where he has to deal with old friends, family, and a mounting conflict between those in the village who worship the deity, and those who practice Christianity.
A meditation on the dreams, promises and frustrations of the immigrant life in America; the nature and impact of religious conflicts; an examination of the ways in which modern culture creates or heightens infatuation with the "exotic," including the desire to own strange objects and hanker after ineffable illusions; and an exploration of the shifting nature of memory, Foreign Gods is a brilliant work of fiction that illuminates our globally interconnected world like no other.
Foreign Gods, Inc., tells the story of Ike, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver who sets out to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it to a New York gallery.
Ike's plan is fueled by desperation. Despite a degree in economics from a major American college, his strong accent has barred him from the corporate world. Forced to eke out a living as a cab driver, he is unable to manage the emotional and material needs of a temperamental African American bride and a widowed mother demanding financial support. When he turns to gambling, his mounting losses compound his woes.
And so he travels back to Nigeria to steal the statue, where he has to deal with old friends, family, and a mounting conflict between those in the village who worship the deity, and those who practice Christianity.
A meditation on the dreams, promises and frustrations of the immigrant life in America; the nature and impact of religious conflicts; an examination of the ways in which modern culture creates or heightens infatuation with the "exotic," including the desire to own strange objects and hanker after ineffable illusions; and an exploration of the shifting nature of memory, Foreign Gods is a brilliant work of fiction that illuminates our globally interconnected world like no other.
335 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
77 people are currently reading
3451 people want to read
About the author
Okey Ndibe
14 books104 followersOkey Ndibe teaches African and African Diaspora literatures at Brown University. He earned MFA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has taught at Connecticut College, Bard College, Trinity College, and the University of Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). He is the author of Arrows of Rain and Foreign Gods, Inc. He has served on the editorial board of Hartford Courant where his essays won national and state awards. He lives in West Hartford, CT, with his wife, Sheri, and their three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
June 21, 2016
When I picked this read, I didn't imagine how it would transport me to a much-needed, surreal literary space; alongside a peculiarly flawed , self-effacing character; to a dark, yet humorous space laced with riveting storytelling.
Let me just say: Chinua Achebe, a sprinkle of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. If you don't enjoy the works of either of these authors, you wouldn't enjoy a writer whose ability to bend language and navigate storytelling seems clearly influenced by them.
I was enthralled. There I was, in reality, on a two-day road trip via car, but in fiction, I was being transported to Foreign Gods, Inc, an art gallery that sells "foreign gods," with a main character called Ike (careful, it's pronounced Ee-kay, not Ike, otherwise you'll upset him), who is trying to sell his town's god, Ngene. But Ngene is no regular god. He's the god of water, of the river, and when he rains, he pours:
Sometimes all one wants is good storytelling. Sometimes, I choose story over prose. Sometimes, I prefer substantive movement to empty words. Sometimes I need to find some form of reality in fiction, something to make me laugh and gasp at the same time. I found all these things, plus sharpened prose and story arc, with a self-aware main character.
Ike is a drunk. He seeks women for what they can give him (a green card), and then he gets used by them. He neglects his mother and sister in Nigeria, after his father dies. He attends a great college in America, graduates, but learns that he can't get a decent job because of his accent. He wants to get rich quickly, no matter the consequences. His wife is cheating on him with his grocer. He can't pay his rent on time. He wants to go to Nigeria, steal the god his people worship, and sell him at an art gallery for almost a million dollars.
The guy is ambitious, but he's also depressed and slightly unhinged; he's lost all sense of self-esteem and integrity and he knows it - this is what makes this even more interesting of a read.
Africa, the African diaspora and all of the usual parallelisms are lucid here. There is cultural and religious clash, what you expect to see once Western ideals are included. Yet this is also a moving immigrant story of hardships in New York City, and it is a story of trying to defy the odds, of what could happen once one crosses the line into losing one's integrity. In the midst of it all, a small Nigerian town and its ebb and flow, its language and music and food is illuminated with much profundity. This read is like a sweet and sour fruit, where both flavors are balanced nicely.
Let me just say: Chinua Achebe, a sprinkle of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. If you don't enjoy the works of either of these authors, you wouldn't enjoy a writer whose ability to bend language and navigate storytelling seems clearly influenced by them.
I was enthralled. There I was, in reality, on a two-day road trip via car, but in fiction, I was being transported to Foreign Gods, Inc, an art gallery that sells "foreign gods," with a main character called Ike (careful, it's pronounced Ee-kay, not Ike, otherwise you'll upset him), who is trying to sell his town's god, Ngene. But Ngene is no regular god. He's the god of water, of the river, and when he rains, he pours:
It then became a word being born in the dense air, a fetus of a name that had been here before, a name straining to be exhumed, born again. Slowly, assuredly, some disembodied force whispered the sound. The sound seemed to emanate from the womb of time, to ride the air, until it became a veritable howl birthing a name, a name that belonged to the past but was now insistent on inhabiting the present.
Sometimes all one wants is good storytelling. Sometimes, I choose story over prose. Sometimes, I prefer substantive movement to empty words. Sometimes I need to find some form of reality in fiction, something to make me laugh and gasp at the same time. I found all these things, plus sharpened prose and story arc, with a self-aware main character.
Ike is a drunk. He seeks women for what they can give him (a green card), and then he gets used by them. He neglects his mother and sister in Nigeria, after his father dies. He attends a great college in America, graduates, but learns that he can't get a decent job because of his accent. He wants to get rich quickly, no matter the consequences. His wife is cheating on him with his grocer. He can't pay his rent on time. He wants to go to Nigeria, steal the god his people worship, and sell him at an art gallery for almost a million dollars.
The guy is ambitious, but he's also depressed and slightly unhinged; he's lost all sense of self-esteem and integrity and he knows it - this is what makes this even more interesting of a read.
Throughout the night voices crowded his head. They were of the night, born of the dark coming from somewhere beyond his reach, muted, inaudible, insistent. His head was the echo chamber for their inarticulate, inchoate musings.
Africa, the African diaspora and all of the usual parallelisms are lucid here. There is cultural and religious clash, what you expect to see once Western ideals are included. Yet this is also a moving immigrant story of hardships in New York City, and it is a story of trying to defy the odds, of what could happen once one crosses the line into losing one's integrity. In the midst of it all, a small Nigerian town and its ebb and flow, its language and music and food is illuminated with much profundity. This read is like a sweet and sour fruit, where both flavors are balanced nicely.
November 1, 2014
Located on a quiet corner in Greenwich Village, there is a small gallery with a sign inked in tiny stylized lettering. The name of the shop is Foreign Gods, Inc. Ikechukwu Uzondu, Ike for short, is a NY cabbie, Nigerian by race, and he means to conduct some business at the gallery. He needs money, quite a lot of it, and he plans to make a deal here that will solve everything. But first, he'll have to return to his home country.
The writing is a pleasure to read, hearing smells, an individual with a sly, nostalgic smile, words that fall bitter upon the ears, a man who is 'disturbed by the intensity of a (old woman's) sightless stare'. I loved the cadence of the language used by the villagers of Utonki.
I did not like Ike. This does not make the book any less enjoyable for me. He makes one poor decision after another until things spiral into a nightmare of his own making. The ending was unexpected, apt and excellent.
The writing is a pleasure to read, hearing smells, an individual with a sly, nostalgic smile, words that fall bitter upon the ears, a man who is 'disturbed by the intensity of a (old woman's) sightless stare'. I loved the cadence of the language used by the villagers of Utonki.
I did not like Ike. This does not make the book any less enjoyable for me. He makes one poor decision after another until things spiral into a nightmare of his own making. The ending was unexpected, apt and excellent.
October 21, 2016
Rating: 4* of five
Sly, wicked fun. An immigrant from Nigeria lands in a cab driver's seat, how unusual, and starts looking for the American Dream. In ALL the wrong places. His wife is a living nightmare; his mother is an overbearing harridan; his bookie is just plain scary.
You know what? You really, really can't go home again. Especially if you're going solely to steal your cultural patrimony to sell so you don't get kneecapped on the way out of Customs.
Schadenfreude was never so fun as this.
Sly, wicked fun. An immigrant from Nigeria lands in a cab driver's seat, how unusual, and starts looking for the American Dream. In ALL the wrong places. His wife is a living nightmare; his mother is an overbearing harridan; his bookie is just plain scary.
You know what? You really, really can't go home again. Especially if you're going solely to steal your cultural patrimony to sell so you don't get kneecapped on the way out of Customs.
Schadenfreude was never so fun as this.
October 12, 2013
This book is Victor LaValle meets Chinua Achebe meets Percival Everett. The premise of Foreign Gods Inc makes you think it is a satire-- a down on his luck cab driver decided to return to his village in Nigeria to steal his local deity to be sold at a NYC god-gallery. And, indeed, it begins in that satirical vein. Everyone except Ike himself is sort of a type-- the suave gallery owner, the ridiculously rich patrons, the African American shrew of an ex-wife... Even when he return to his village, we are still in satire mode-- the over-the-top huckster preacher, the Big Man with his riches but no taste.
But then the novel simmers and deepens into something a little more realistic and a lot more affecting.
I will definitely use this in my classes (I am an English prof), but I also think it is will be a good choice for bookclubs.
But then the novel simmers and deepens into something a little more realistic and a lot more affecting.
I will definitely use this in my classes (I am an English prof), but I also think it is will be a good choice for bookclubs.
February 14, 2014
Ikechukwu Uzondu , “Ike for short”, is living testimony to the American Dream gone awry. Nigerian born and Amherst educated in economics, he is underemployed as a New York City cab driver, where he spends his days anxious about his substantial debt, incurred when he married a greedy woman to obtain green card status.
Driven to desperation, he hatches a nefarious plan: travel back to his homeland, steal the village’s powerful war god Ngene, and sell it to the tony art gallery – Foreign Gods Inc. – and specifically to its proprietor who buys and sells foreign deities.
It’s a very innovative and imaginative premise and for the most part, Okey Ndibe really pulls it off. One key theme is the ubiquitous encroaching of materialism and the worshipping of the new religion: the almighty dollar.
Ike’s return to Nigeria – where most of the book takes place – reveals him to be displaced, neither of here nor there. Worshipped himself as a rich American (of course, there’s nothing further from the truth), Ike is caught between his foolishly pious mother, who has under the influence of a shady and hypocritical Christian pastor, and his revered uncle, who clings to the war god Ngene and the old ways.
Yet though Ike fully inhabits neither world, he is a full-fledged citizen of the World of Temptation, a world that is governed by consumerism, money worship, and the transference of esteemed cultural icons to items to be bought and sold. If there is a fault, it’s that in certain places, Okey Ndibe’s satire becomes a bit too farcical. That being said, Foreign Gods Inc. is a fine exploration of a man who has lost his way in his pursuit of false hope.
Driven to desperation, he hatches a nefarious plan: travel back to his homeland, steal the village’s powerful war god Ngene, and sell it to the tony art gallery – Foreign Gods Inc. – and specifically to its proprietor who buys and sells foreign deities.
It’s a very innovative and imaginative premise and for the most part, Okey Ndibe really pulls it off. One key theme is the ubiquitous encroaching of materialism and the worshipping of the new religion: the almighty dollar.
Ike’s return to Nigeria – where most of the book takes place – reveals him to be displaced, neither of here nor there. Worshipped himself as a rich American (of course, there’s nothing further from the truth), Ike is caught between his foolishly pious mother, who has under the influence of a shady and hypocritical Christian pastor, and his revered uncle, who clings to the war god Ngene and the old ways.
Yet though Ike fully inhabits neither world, he is a full-fledged citizen of the World of Temptation, a world that is governed by consumerism, money worship, and the transference of esteemed cultural icons to items to be bought and sold. If there is a fault, it’s that in certain places, Okey Ndibe’s satire becomes a bit too farcical. That being said, Foreign Gods Inc. is a fine exploration of a man who has lost his way in his pursuit of false hope.
Read
August 6, 2013Overall, I was pretty impressed with the manner in which Ndibe takes a slightly surreal premise--that gods are bought and sold on the commodities market in the manner of artworks--and fleshes it out in compelling detail. The most fully wrought scenes in the book, however, take place away from the cutthroat New York marketplace, once Ike, the narrator, returns to his village in Nigeria as an outsider, an American, the epitome of a character in intercultural limbo who belongs essentially nowhere. The novel marches in its climactic scenes toward a rich grotesqueness that feels justified, even inevitable as it is transpiring. If anything, though, I felt that the ending may have been premature. I wanted to linger longer on the brilliant conceit of gods on the open market, which is to say I wanted even more of what in sum was an impressive, thought-provoking novel.
August 13, 2016
first: My thanks to Soho, who sent me this novel -- I am so happy I got a copy because it's amazing.
second: I'm skipping the plot here, but if you want to read about it, you'll find it on my reading journal page.
I really believe that this book is one of those novels that you don't fully appreciate with only one read; nor do you fully appreciate it until you've let time pass and allow it to settle into your brain. The premise is very different, the writing is first class, and frankly, even the ending is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's the story of one African immigrant for whom the dream has become a veritable nightmare -- and the unorthodox way in which he tries to remedy things for himself.
The book is very good in terms of the examination of immigrant experience in America, but the best parts of this novel take place in the small Nigerian village that is Ike's home. A reader can lose himself/herself here, caught up in the people who inhabit this place. It is a place where corruption abounds; where the capitalist present and traditional past meet head to head; where Christianity is in conflict with local religious tradition and divides the locals, even within families. It is a place where so much has changed while Ike's been gone that people from his past are hardly recognizable in the way he remembers them, and not always for the better. It's a place where everyone assumes that just because Ike is in America, he's living the dream. It is also a place with its own "foreign gods," who hold out promises of their own for those who dream of something better, as in one scene where Michael Jordan becomes a deity in his own right. As crazy as this entire story is, it is definitely the Nigerian characters and their colorful language who make Foreign Gods, Inc. the wonderful novel it turns out to be, especially Ike, who clearly has a foot in both worlds. They range from the scamming church pastor to Ike's uncle and Ngene's chief priest, to Ike's mother who is worried that Ike will be possessed by demons by hanging out with said uncle, and Ike's first love, whose life turned out so badly that he hardly recognizes her. Thematically, this is a rich book -- well beyond being just another take on the immigrant experience, there's much to say here about art, about conflict (especially inner conflict within a troubled and divided soul), about religion, about the importance of the past and tradition vs. the modern world; you also get a look at the very male-oriented culture in this country, the colonial aspects, and there's also quite a lot in here about the power of stories. The river is also ever present throughout this book, as a source of life, power and conflict.
For me, it was almost like reading a "quest" sort of story with a conflicted main character who faces a number of obstacles before he can reach his intended goal. However, the strange but highly appropriate ending is unlike anything I've experienced before -- seriously, it was almost at the edge of surreal, something along the lines of the bizarre endings in novels of many works of weird fiction I've read. Its abruptness immediately leaves pause for the reader to conjure in his or her head exactly what's going on here, and it's a stunner. Foreign Gods, Inc. is a novel I highly, highly recommend, one that casual readers like myself can fully enjoy. It's a book that I know is going to stay with me a very long time.
second: I'm skipping the plot here, but if you want to read about it, you'll find it on my reading journal page.
I really believe that this book is one of those novels that you don't fully appreciate with only one read; nor do you fully appreciate it until you've let time pass and allow it to settle into your brain. The premise is very different, the writing is first class, and frankly, even the ending is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's the story of one African immigrant for whom the dream has become a veritable nightmare -- and the unorthodox way in which he tries to remedy things for himself.
The book is very good in terms of the examination of immigrant experience in America, but the best parts of this novel take place in the small Nigerian village that is Ike's home. A reader can lose himself/herself here, caught up in the people who inhabit this place. It is a place where corruption abounds; where the capitalist present and traditional past meet head to head; where Christianity is in conflict with local religious tradition and divides the locals, even within families. It is a place where so much has changed while Ike's been gone that people from his past are hardly recognizable in the way he remembers them, and not always for the better. It's a place where everyone assumes that just because Ike is in America, he's living the dream. It is also a place with its own "foreign gods," who hold out promises of their own for those who dream of something better, as in one scene where Michael Jordan becomes a deity in his own right. As crazy as this entire story is, it is definitely the Nigerian characters and their colorful language who make Foreign Gods, Inc. the wonderful novel it turns out to be, especially Ike, who clearly has a foot in both worlds. They range from the scamming church pastor to Ike's uncle and Ngene's chief priest, to Ike's mother who is worried that Ike will be possessed by demons by hanging out with said uncle, and Ike's first love, whose life turned out so badly that he hardly recognizes her. Thematically, this is a rich book -- well beyond being just another take on the immigrant experience, there's much to say here about art, about conflict (especially inner conflict within a troubled and divided soul), about religion, about the importance of the past and tradition vs. the modern world; you also get a look at the very male-oriented culture in this country, the colonial aspects, and there's also quite a lot in here about the power of stories. The river is also ever present throughout this book, as a source of life, power and conflict.
For me, it was almost like reading a "quest" sort of story with a conflicted main character who faces a number of obstacles before he can reach his intended goal. However, the strange but highly appropriate ending is unlike anything I've experienced before -- seriously, it was almost at the edge of surreal, something along the lines of the bizarre endings in novels of many works of weird fiction I've read. Its abruptness immediately leaves pause for the reader to conjure in his or her head exactly what's going on here, and it's a stunner. Foreign Gods, Inc. is a novel I highly, highly recommend, one that casual readers like myself can fully enjoy. It's a book that I know is going to stay with me a very long time.
August 10, 2024
Foreign Gods, Inc.
Okey Ndibe's second novel "Foreign Gods Inc" (2014). tells a tale of Ngene, the war god of a small Nigerian village named Utonki. Born in Nigeria, Ndibe earned advanced degrees in the United States and teaches African and African diaspora literature at Brown University.
The primary character of the book is Ikechukwu Uzondu, often called Ike . Ike is a Nigerian who has graduated summa cum laude from Amherst in economics. Ike cannot get a suitable job in the United States and is reduced to driving a taxi. Ike has married and been divorced by a free-spending highly- sexed American woman who referred to him derogatorily during the marriage as "Zulu". Ike also has problems of his own making with his addiction to gambling and his drinking. Ike is desperate for money and for success in America. He forms the plan of returning to Utonki, stealing Ngene, and selling the statue to a trendy business, "Foreign Gods, Inc." which sells statues and artifacts of gods from across the world to wealthy individuals with lots of disposable cash looking for a rare conversation piece.
Much of Ndibe's book shows the clash of Nigerian and American cultures and also their strange confluence in greed and in the unabashed pursuit of money. Ike's first experience upon returning home is with the corruption of Nigerian customs officials. When he returns to the village, Ike's feelings become more nostalgic and complex than he had anticipated. His aged mother makes him feel guilty for not sending her money. Ike's mother is a follower of a fundamentalist Christian preacher with a criminal record who exploits his poor flock. The family and the village both show tension between Christianity and the traditional religion centering on Ngene. Ike's uncle is Ngene's high priest, and Ike's mother accuses him of using sorcery to kill her husband.
Ndibe compares Christianity and the religion of Ngene in Utonki. Ike learns the story of an early missionary who abused his would-be converts and was swept down the river by Ngene. In contrast to the greed, corruption and charlatanry which seems to pervade Utonki, Ike's uncle and his retinue appear devoted to the service of Ngene and convinced of his continued importance to his people. During his trip to Utonki, Ike meets his first love who has fallen upon difficult times and an old school friend who has become both politically powerful and corrupt. Ike has strong feelings for his native village and his conflicting feelings about the purpose of his trip home to steal Ngene and sell the statue to Foreign Gods Inc.
Ndibe's novel is a rare delight which manages to be both entertaining and thoughtful. The book shows the ever-present and growing reach of commercialism and superficiality while contrasting them with respect for traditional ways. Ndibe portrays both America and Nigeria as deteriorating into cultures in which everything is for sale with no place for the sacred. The writing is lucid and eloquent. The scenes of the novel move between laugh-aloud funny and high seriousness. The book manages to persuade the reader that Ngene is not merely an old wooden idol; rather the god continues to possess a strong and often nefarious force.
Written in the form of a "heist" story, "Foreign Gods, Inc" offers many insights into change, religion, American immigrant life, and greed. It is an outstanding, enjoyable novel.
Robin Friedman
Okey Ndibe's second novel "Foreign Gods Inc" (2014). tells a tale of Ngene, the war god of a small Nigerian village named Utonki. Born in Nigeria, Ndibe earned advanced degrees in the United States and teaches African and African diaspora literature at Brown University.
The primary character of the book is Ikechukwu Uzondu, often called Ike . Ike is a Nigerian who has graduated summa cum laude from Amherst in economics. Ike cannot get a suitable job in the United States and is reduced to driving a taxi. Ike has married and been divorced by a free-spending highly- sexed American woman who referred to him derogatorily during the marriage as "Zulu". Ike also has problems of his own making with his addiction to gambling and his drinking. Ike is desperate for money and for success in America. He forms the plan of returning to Utonki, stealing Ngene, and selling the statue to a trendy business, "Foreign Gods, Inc." which sells statues and artifacts of gods from across the world to wealthy individuals with lots of disposable cash looking for a rare conversation piece.
Much of Ndibe's book shows the clash of Nigerian and American cultures and also their strange confluence in greed and in the unabashed pursuit of money. Ike's first experience upon returning home is with the corruption of Nigerian customs officials. When he returns to the village, Ike's feelings become more nostalgic and complex than he had anticipated. His aged mother makes him feel guilty for not sending her money. Ike's mother is a follower of a fundamentalist Christian preacher with a criminal record who exploits his poor flock. The family and the village both show tension between Christianity and the traditional religion centering on Ngene. Ike's uncle is Ngene's high priest, and Ike's mother accuses him of using sorcery to kill her husband.
Ndibe compares Christianity and the religion of Ngene in Utonki. Ike learns the story of an early missionary who abused his would-be converts and was swept down the river by Ngene. In contrast to the greed, corruption and charlatanry which seems to pervade Utonki, Ike's uncle and his retinue appear devoted to the service of Ngene and convinced of his continued importance to his people. During his trip to Utonki, Ike meets his first love who has fallen upon difficult times and an old school friend who has become both politically powerful and corrupt. Ike has strong feelings for his native village and his conflicting feelings about the purpose of his trip home to steal Ngene and sell the statue to Foreign Gods Inc.
Ndibe's novel is a rare delight which manages to be both entertaining and thoughtful. The book shows the ever-present and growing reach of commercialism and superficiality while contrasting them with respect for traditional ways. Ndibe portrays both America and Nigeria as deteriorating into cultures in which everything is for sale with no place for the sacred. The writing is lucid and eloquent. The scenes of the novel move between laugh-aloud funny and high seriousness. The book manages to persuade the reader that Ngene is not merely an old wooden idol; rather the god continues to possess a strong and often nefarious force.
Written in the form of a "heist" story, "Foreign Gods, Inc" offers many insights into change, religion, American immigrant life, and greed. It is an outstanding, enjoyable novel.
Robin Friedman
August 25, 2024
The chronicles of Ikeckukwu Uzondu, "Ike", a hapless gambler and New York City cab driver is one of the funniest and tragicomic novels I've come across in a while. Born and raised in Nigeria and educated at Amherst College, he is an overqualified and intelligent man who finds himself unable to find work or a green card due to his distinct accent.
Desperate, he marries the riotous Bernita "Queen Bee" who he is at once powerfully and magnetically sexually aroused towards. Once the sex ends and she wants a divorce, Ike's life and finances spiral out of control which leads to his fateful meeting with Mark Gruels, a snobby Manhattan art collector, whom he offers a statue of Ngene, a Nigerian war god, upon his return to an eventual visit back to his homeland. Upon his arrival, we learn his Mother has fallen victim to a cult priest who insists that his late father's brother murdered his father; and encounters Regina, an ex-girlfriend who left Ike for someone far richer than he.
The novel is replete with American Transculturalism and anecdotes, saturated with Africans wishing for the American Dream and a desire for all things Western while struggling to keep their Nigerian deities going becomes the crux of this novel; while funny, and absurdist, becomes both a thriller and comedy of individuals lost in their own concepts of freedom and materialism.
Desperate, he marries the riotous Bernita "Queen Bee" who he is at once powerfully and magnetically sexually aroused towards. Once the sex ends and she wants a divorce, Ike's life and finances spiral out of control which leads to his fateful meeting with Mark Gruels, a snobby Manhattan art collector, whom he offers a statue of Ngene, a Nigerian war god, upon his return to an eventual visit back to his homeland. Upon his arrival, we learn his Mother has fallen victim to a cult priest who insists that his late father's brother murdered his father; and encounters Regina, an ex-girlfriend who left Ike for someone far richer than he.
The novel is replete with American Transculturalism and anecdotes, saturated with Africans wishing for the American Dream and a desire for all things Western while struggling to keep their Nigerian deities going becomes the crux of this novel; while funny, and absurdist, becomes both a thriller and comedy of individuals lost in their own concepts of freedom and materialism.
June 6, 2017
This book IS NOT about love and redemption but about how desperate and pathetic we (us human beings) can behave when we feel the world denying us power, money, and respect. It is about the clash and entanglement of “religion” and the endless struggle of men to wrangle favor from whatever entities they believe rules earthbound experience. It’s about superstition, the buying and selling of icons and gods; the conjuring of new schemes to compensate for failed plans; its about begging and bribery and drinking too damn much! Even though I read a Kindle edition borrowed from the virtual branch of the Chicago Public Library, this still qualifies as a racy and somewhat sweaty “page-turner”. A bit sardonic and ironic, in the right hands, Foreign Gods Inc. would make a great movie, using the final chapter as the opening sequence. (Three and one half stars plus a shot of gin is my rating).
March 2, 2014
Often slow, sometimes a bit overwritten, but this so so story full of story and what a hell of an ending. And the premise is not only compelling, it's real. So many African deities have been sold by their own people for petty cash paid by foreigners. It's so twisted and telling. This novel is also an excellent example of an unlikable character (a real foolish bumbling fool!) who you just HAVE to keep reading. And did I say I loved the ending? I really did.
October 2, 2015
2-1/2 stars, rounded down.
This whole book was clearly Too Literary For Me. And what. was. that. ending?
I'm sure it's got some merits that are flying over my head. But it's mostly a story about a miserable guy with a good education who can't get a job in the US due to his Nigerian accent, and who has no money, and doesn't seem to fit into either the US or Nigeria anymore, either, when he goes back there. It's educational and thought-provoking, but also a bit clumsy, and then there seems to be no point whatsoever to the story at the end. The whole book was just a long slog through someone else's unhappiness and discomfort. So, just really not my thing. It's a shame, because I still really love that title.
December 13, 2014
A novel with an excellent premise--Ike, a NYC cab driver, conspires to return to Nigeria to steal the war god Ngene and sell it to a god purveyor in New York. As he journeys from New York to Nigeria, he reconnects with family, his first love, and we begin to see how the man has changed since leaving home. I wanted to like this novel more because the prose is so passionate but the pacing was really off, and that kept distracting me. Foreign Gods is, nonetheless, well worth a read.
March 26, 2014
Ikechukwu Uzondu (Ike)has fallen on hard times. Despite successfully completing his studies in economics, he cannot find any consummate employment. The usual response of potential employers and recruiters suggest that his heavy Nigerian "accent" makes him unsuitable in the US market. For the time being his only option appears to be to drive a cab in New York, hoping for luck to change. Like many in his situation he has financial obligations to his family back home, yet he cannot explain to them that he has no money to send. His efforts to land a green card also turn out to be problematic: he loses money in more ways than one and to add to his woes he ends up marrying a voluptuous young woman whose appetites he cannot afford to satisfy without going deeper into debt. Gambling sounds tempting but it leads him further down the wrong path. As a last resort, he comes up with an ingenious plan that should resolve all his troubles in one stroke...
Okey Ndibe's new novel, Foreign Gods, Inc. , is a fast moving and delightful read, yet with an undercurrent of more serious themes, such as of misconception of "easy life" in the rich countries, of culture clashes between modern and traditional societies and more. The title of Ndibe's novel - Foreign Gods, Inc. - gives the reader a hint of what it at stake for Ike. His discovery of the "world's largest god shop" leads to a plan that he believes is foolproof: he will steal the statue of his Nigerian community's ancient local god and sell it to the NYC shop for good money. That will wipe out his debts and allow him to embark on a new life and also help his family. "Ngene is a majestic god, a warrior god, with a rich legend and history". Ike can already see the inventory description in the catalogue and the hefty dollar figure to go with it.
Ike's travel and experiences back home make up the largest part of the book. His plan, as can be guessed, is not easily implemented and unexpected obstacles are thrown in his way. The conditions in the village are no longer the same as they were when he left... and in due course he himself has to question his own perspective on what he observes and experiences as well as his plan. Ndibe's depiction of the Ngene's Shrine and its keepers is very evocative as is his astute observation of the other goings-on in the village. Much of it comes across as tongue-in-cheek, but the author never loses sight of his concerns of disconnect and misunderstanding between the traditional society and the 'visitor' who used to be part of the local culture. Will Ike bring back the god? You have to read the novel to find out.
Okey Ndibe's new novel, Foreign Gods, Inc. , is a fast moving and delightful read, yet with an undercurrent of more serious themes, such as of misconception of "easy life" in the rich countries, of culture clashes between modern and traditional societies and more. The title of Ndibe's novel - Foreign Gods, Inc. - gives the reader a hint of what it at stake for Ike. His discovery of the "world's largest god shop" leads to a plan that he believes is foolproof: he will steal the statue of his Nigerian community's ancient local god and sell it to the NYC shop for good money. That will wipe out his debts and allow him to embark on a new life and also help his family. "Ngene is a majestic god, a warrior god, with a rich legend and history". Ike can already see the inventory description in the catalogue and the hefty dollar figure to go with it.
Ike's travel and experiences back home make up the largest part of the book. His plan, as can be guessed, is not easily implemented and unexpected obstacles are thrown in his way. The conditions in the village are no longer the same as they were when he left... and in due course he himself has to question his own perspective on what he observes and experiences as well as his plan. Ndibe's depiction of the Ngene's Shrine and its keepers is very evocative as is his astute observation of the other goings-on in the village. Much of it comes across as tongue-in-cheek, but the author never loses sight of his concerns of disconnect and misunderstanding between the traditional society and the 'visitor' who used to be part of the local culture. Will Ike bring back the god? You have to read the novel to find out.
February 15, 2014
Unique. A (refreshing) change of pace. Not the same old stuff that Barnes & Noble is peddling on the mainstream fiction table/shelf. Disorienting. A jaundiced but intriguing perspective of a Nigerian/African ex-pat - of both immigrant life in NYC and how and why it's really impossible to ever go home again.... Disquieting and disturbing? A brutally cynical examination of paganism, icons (graven images!?!?!), and missionary Christianity (but, to be clear, this is no At Play in the Fields of the Lord - nor is it as far fetched or grandiose as the Sparrow (or, more specifically, the sequel, Children of G-d) - if anything, it feels more like Mosquito Coast or Poisonwood Bible... And yet it couldn't be further from Gaiman's American Gods or Anansi Boys, yet Pratchett readers, no doubt, will be reminded of Small G-ds (but only as they try to regain their sense of humor) - and, no, it has nothing in common with Good Omens, but I digress)....
One could easily dismiss this book for its languid pace, but that would be a mistake. The detail and nuance - the frequent obsession with the micro at the expense of the macro - is artful.
Oh, and I don't even know where to begin with the protagonist. Sympathetic, maddening, despicable, flawed, cursed, doomed. I don't know - I should also mention he's frank, guileless, and, ultimately, effective in his assigned context and myriad roles... Love him or hate him, I found him remarkably consistent (or true to form) and, accordingly, credible throughout....
No doubt, this "review" will be unhelpful to most, but let me offer the following takeaways: (1) the book is well worth the time; (2) once I started, it held my attention throughout, and it was sufficiently compelling that I remained curious about the (ultimately satisfying and well done, if unconventional) outcome; (3) if you're looking for something different - if you're trying to break out of a reading rut (as more and more authors serialize their works or rush their next installment to press to meet arbitrary publishing cycles, etc.) - this is a good vehicle; (4) for every time you've been disappointed by a new or emerging voice that seems to be imitating a dozen other authors you've read, my guess is you won't find that to be the case here....
One could easily dismiss this book for its languid pace, but that would be a mistake. The detail and nuance - the frequent obsession with the micro at the expense of the macro - is artful.
Oh, and I don't even know where to begin with the protagonist. Sympathetic, maddening, despicable, flawed, cursed, doomed. I don't know - I should also mention he's frank, guileless, and, ultimately, effective in his assigned context and myriad roles... Love him or hate him, I found him remarkably consistent (or true to form) and, accordingly, credible throughout....
No doubt, this "review" will be unhelpful to most, but let me offer the following takeaways: (1) the book is well worth the time; (2) once I started, it held my attention throughout, and it was sufficiently compelling that I remained curious about the (ultimately satisfying and well done, if unconventional) outcome; (3) if you're looking for something different - if you're trying to break out of a reading rut (as more and more authors serialize their works or rush their next installment to press to meet arbitrary publishing cycles, etc.) - this is a good vehicle; (4) for every time you've been disappointed by a new or emerging voice that seems to be imitating a dozen other authors you've read, my guess is you won't find that to be the case here....
January 14, 2014
This picaresque bildungsroman, spiked with folktales, horrors, and gorgons aplenty, features a young man seeking his fortune in an un-fortun-ate world. The young man discovers instead his own base nature. To be honest, I thought this was going to be a funny, light-hearted read. I have grown accustomed to comic novels that harbor hideous truths. But Ndibe does something entirely different with this fiction. He uses a nineteenth or early twentieth-century sensibility and style in this novel with some success, and creates a tragi-comic naïf for whom we reserve a special pity. Only the time frame of the novel and its actual language are modern: the rest is as old as man himself.
Ike (pronounced Ee-kay) is a Nigerian immigrant to the United States. Although he attended a fancy New England college and graduated magna cum laude in economics, his thick Nigerian accent bars him from landing a job in his field. He struggles to find paying employment, finally landing a job as a taxicab driver. At the same time he searches for a wife to give him the infamous green card legal status he requires for higher paying low-level jobs for which he is (over)qualified.
This lacerating novel peels back the veneer to uncover the reality of immigrant life in the United States and in the home country for an educated man. Ike struggles mightily to rustle up the needed cash to return home in response to repeated requests by his family, but he also uses his visit to Nigeria to steal the effigy of a deity from his native village to sell on the New York art market. He plans to vanish his financial woes and make his fortune this way.
Whirled about and confused in the maelstrom of humanity on two continents, Ike resembles a modern Don Quixote, though he seeks the good life promised by America rather than the chivalry, human goodness, and true love sought by Quixote. Like Quixote, Ike comes to his senses occasionally, only to sink back into a feverish belief that his dreams will come true. Comic elements abound (two bribe-taking customs sessions, a visit to a corrupt politician’s home, and an interview with a Christian pastor), and although we are ready to laugh through much of the book, we come to realize this horrible dream is really true, and Ike is desperately spiraling out of control into the black hole of penury and despair.
Foreign Gods reads like a big short story, partly because of the ending, and partly because the time frame was short. We have character development but not resolution. We grow to like, if not admire, the character of Ike. He is more acted upon than actor, since he can’t seem to come to grips with the world in which he lives. He is perhaps not very clever, despite his degree, for he is guilty of the basest naiveté when it comes to his get-rich-quick plan. He is a good man at heart, but we onlookers know that will not be enough to get him through.
This book was sent to me by Soho Crime in return for an honest review.
Ike (pronounced Ee-kay) is a Nigerian immigrant to the United States. Although he attended a fancy New England college and graduated magna cum laude in economics, his thick Nigerian accent bars him from landing a job in his field. He struggles to find paying employment, finally landing a job as a taxicab driver. At the same time he searches for a wife to give him the infamous green card legal status he requires for higher paying low-level jobs for which he is (over)qualified.
This lacerating novel peels back the veneer to uncover the reality of immigrant life in the United States and in the home country for an educated man. Ike struggles mightily to rustle up the needed cash to return home in response to repeated requests by his family, but he also uses his visit to Nigeria to steal the effigy of a deity from his native village to sell on the New York art market. He plans to vanish his financial woes and make his fortune this way.
Whirled about and confused in the maelstrom of humanity on two continents, Ike resembles a modern Don Quixote, though he seeks the good life promised by America rather than the chivalry, human goodness, and true love sought by Quixote. Like Quixote, Ike comes to his senses occasionally, only to sink back into a feverish belief that his dreams will come true. Comic elements abound (two bribe-taking customs sessions, a visit to a corrupt politician’s home, and an interview with a Christian pastor), and although we are ready to laugh through much of the book, we come to realize this horrible dream is really true, and Ike is desperately spiraling out of control into the black hole of penury and despair.
Foreign Gods reads like a big short story, partly because of the ending, and partly because the time frame was short. We have character development but not resolution. We grow to like, if not admire, the character of Ike. He is more acted upon than actor, since he can’t seem to come to grips with the world in which he lives. He is perhaps not very clever, despite his degree, for he is guilty of the basest naiveté when it comes to his get-rich-quick plan. He is a good man at heart, but we onlookers know that will not be enough to get him through.
This book was sent to me by Soho Crime in return for an honest review.
January 30, 2014
Don't mess with the deities, for you know not what they'll do.
Ikechukwu "Ike" Uzondu is a Nigerian taxi driver in Brooklyn. He's having a tough time of it. Educated at Amherst College, intelligent and ambitious, he is determined to make a better life for himself, but he is unable to get a job because his accent is so thick. Instead of marrying for love, he married for the possibility of a green card, yet wound up with a shrewish wife, who constantly demanded money, accused him of having affairs, cheated on him, and divorced him, taking much of his savings.
But now the rent is due, his gambling debts have him strapped for money, and the emails from his sister and mother back in Nigeria begging for money are becoming increasingly more strident and demanding. Inspired by an article about Foreign Gods, Inc.—a tony New York gallery that specializes in the purchase and sale of deities from foreign countries, Ike decides his best hope for fortune and comfort is to return home to Nigeria and steal Ngene, his ancestral village's war idol. After all, as he has read, "In a postmodern world, even gods and sacred objects must travel or lose their vitality; any deity that remained stuck in its place and original purpose would soon become moribund."
Ike's return home to his village is not as smooth as he had hoped. He nearly gets arrested several times in the airport because he refuses to give customs officials and others the bribes they expect. His mother and sister have fallen under the influence of a corrupt, maniacal Christian preacher, who has captivated many in his village with promises of salvation and talk of the devil. And his mother is at war with Ike's uncle and grandmother, as she has been led to believe by the preacher that they were responsible for Ike's father's death because they worship Ngene, not Jesus.
Foreign Gods, Inc. is in part a meditation on what it's like to be an immigrant in the U.S., and part a reflection on what it's like to return home to a country and a culture you tried so hard to leave behind. At times the book is satirical, as it pokes fun at the mangled English the characters use ("Now I have to be a fantastic hostage by tabulating a drink in front of you," one of Ike's friends says) and their fascination and disbelief at American ways. Toward the end of the book, it turns metaphorical, as Ike begins to experience—or is he simply imagining—the consequences of stealing Ngene away from the village.
Okey Ndibe tells an amusing and intriguing story which may have more roots in truth than I'd imagine. It ran a little slow in places, but Ike's character is fascinating, and his plight made for a compelling read.
Ikechukwu "Ike" Uzondu is a Nigerian taxi driver in Brooklyn. He's having a tough time of it. Educated at Amherst College, intelligent and ambitious, he is determined to make a better life for himself, but he is unable to get a job because his accent is so thick. Instead of marrying for love, he married for the possibility of a green card, yet wound up with a shrewish wife, who constantly demanded money, accused him of having affairs, cheated on him, and divorced him, taking much of his savings.
But now the rent is due, his gambling debts have him strapped for money, and the emails from his sister and mother back in Nigeria begging for money are becoming increasingly more strident and demanding. Inspired by an article about Foreign Gods, Inc.—a tony New York gallery that specializes in the purchase and sale of deities from foreign countries, Ike decides his best hope for fortune and comfort is to return home to Nigeria and steal Ngene, his ancestral village's war idol. After all, as he has read, "In a postmodern world, even gods and sacred objects must travel or lose their vitality; any deity that remained stuck in its place and original purpose would soon become moribund."
Ike's return home to his village is not as smooth as he had hoped. He nearly gets arrested several times in the airport because he refuses to give customs officials and others the bribes they expect. His mother and sister have fallen under the influence of a corrupt, maniacal Christian preacher, who has captivated many in his village with promises of salvation and talk of the devil. And his mother is at war with Ike's uncle and grandmother, as she has been led to believe by the preacher that they were responsible for Ike's father's death because they worship Ngene, not Jesus.
Foreign Gods, Inc. is in part a meditation on what it's like to be an immigrant in the U.S., and part a reflection on what it's like to return home to a country and a culture you tried so hard to leave behind. At times the book is satirical, as it pokes fun at the mangled English the characters use ("Now I have to be a fantastic hostage by tabulating a drink in front of you," one of Ike's friends says) and their fascination and disbelief at American ways. Toward the end of the book, it turns metaphorical, as Ike begins to experience—or is he simply imagining—the consequences of stealing Ngene away from the village.
Okey Ndibe tells an amusing and intriguing story which may have more roots in truth than I'd imagine. It ran a little slow in places, but Ike's character is fascinating, and his plight made for a compelling read.
September 6, 2016
Playing Jokers Blog: all suits of genres and bookish news
Foreign Gods, Inc. is a story that left my mouth gaping as I slowly came to the realization of the caliber of the story I had read.
I was an English major in college and took plenty of literature courses. One was on African American literature and another course with a reading list of a lot of immigrant struggle stories. In many ways, I feel that this is a book that could be added to any of those reading courses for the next semester.
In fact, this is a book that I wish I could read with my book club. I want to discuss it, to really peel off all the layers of the story. It's a story with a lot of layers that I really appreciated uncovering.
Ike has not made it very well in America. He has an economics degree, but cannot find a worthwhile job due to his accent. He goes to try to make some money by stealing his village's deity statue. But the village is a different world than the one he's gotten used to in New York.
There are multiple parallels made with this story that is almost poetic in its execution. One example in particular was the stark juxtaposition between the main character, Ike, being confronted with the poverty of his old girlfriend and then immediately went to one of his childhood friend's house who was so wealthy he had a room just for the locals to watch old American television.
I would say that the language and story-telling style are similar to Chinua Achebe, but I really think that it would be an unfair comparison. I'm not really sure how many stories I've read that deal with the same kind of culture, and even just that sentence makes me sound really ignorant. It's why I don't think such comparisons are fair unless someone has read more than the required reading of Things Fall Apart. I will say that Okey Ndibe is a powerful storyteller and I definitely place this book in my 'must recommend to everyone' list.
I'm not even going to dive into my literary analysis of this book, as much as it is tempting the English major in me. For instance, the condition of immigrants in the U.S., the place of religion in the modern world, the power of belief, greed and success, and so on. Seriously, I could probably write a ten-page paper based on this book.
All that said, I highly recommend this book for someone who can handle a literary read and is okay with open-ended endings (seriously, the ending is quite an abrupt stunner).
Foreign Gods, Inc. is a story that left my mouth gaping as I slowly came to the realization of the caliber of the story I had read.
I was an English major in college and took plenty of literature courses. One was on African American literature and another course with a reading list of a lot of immigrant struggle stories. In many ways, I feel that this is a book that could be added to any of those reading courses for the next semester.
In fact, this is a book that I wish I could read with my book club. I want to discuss it, to really peel off all the layers of the story. It's a story with a lot of layers that I really appreciated uncovering.
Ike has not made it very well in America. He has an economics degree, but cannot find a worthwhile job due to his accent. He goes to try to make some money by stealing his village's deity statue. But the village is a different world than the one he's gotten used to in New York.
There are multiple parallels made with this story that is almost poetic in its execution. One example in particular was the stark juxtaposition between the main character, Ike, being confronted with the poverty of his old girlfriend and then immediately went to one of his childhood friend's house who was so wealthy he had a room just for the locals to watch old American television.
I would say that the language and story-telling style are similar to Chinua Achebe, but I really think that it would be an unfair comparison. I'm not really sure how many stories I've read that deal with the same kind of culture, and even just that sentence makes me sound really ignorant. It's why I don't think such comparisons are fair unless someone has read more than the required reading of Things Fall Apart. I will say that Okey Ndibe is a powerful storyteller and I definitely place this book in my 'must recommend to everyone' list.
I'm not even going to dive into my literary analysis of this book, as much as it is tempting the English major in me. For instance, the condition of immigrants in the U.S., the place of religion in the modern world, the power of belief, greed and success, and so on. Seriously, I could probably write a ten-page paper based on this book.
All that said, I highly recommend this book for someone who can handle a literary read and is okay with open-ended endings (seriously, the ending is quite an abrupt stunner).
June 22, 2015
A New York taxi driver from Nigeria plots to return to his home, steal the village god, and sell it to a Manhattan art dealer. It sounds like a terrible plan, and boy is it ever.
June 20, 2025
Borrowed a friend’s copy. This book is an irreverent comedy in the best way. The dialogue crackled with electricity, and every character was a bit mad. It was fun to see the immigrant story flipped on its head!
November 7, 2016
Okey Ndibe has created a powerful literary novel with memorable characters and an intriguing storyline. Foreign Gods, Inc. engrossed me in the struggles of Ike Uzondu, a Nigerian-born immigrant in the United States. Even with his degree in economics from Amherst College, Ike's intelligence, motivation, and ambition haven't been enough to bury his distinctive accent, which has prevented him from fulfilling his dream to land a job in corporate America. Instead, he scrapes by as a cab driver in New York City, his life descending from frustration to chaos. After his failed marriage to the irascible Queen Bee, he falls deeper into the throes of gambling and alcohol. His mounting problems appear to have no solution until he devices a plan to return home to Nigeria and steal a sacred war statue that he intends to sell for a lucrative amount to an art dealer in the States.
With his vivid and precise prose, Ndibe envelops you in the challenges of Ike's immigrant experiences and also in the culture of his village of Utonki once he arrives back in Nigeria. Ike's quest to snatch the statue, named Ngene, becomes sidetracked due to a litany of other worries: his mother's superstitions, the village's infighting between traditional worshipers and Christian converts, and the destitute poverty of both Ike's own family and his former girlfriend. Ndibe flexes his talents in how he balances Ike's heartbreaking journey with an element of humor. The story flows with great anticipation and dread. You root for Ike to find a way out of his dilemma while simultaneously laughing at his foibles and also witnessing the ominous forces that begin to crush down upon him. Not since Junot Diaz's masterpiece, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, have I encountered a literary work like Ndibe's that expertly weaves together a tale of sadness with a thread of humor throughout. Foreign Gods, Inc. is a unique and compelling novel from a writer I have instantly come to admire.
With his vivid and precise prose, Ndibe envelops you in the challenges of Ike's immigrant experiences and also in the culture of his village of Utonki once he arrives back in Nigeria. Ike's quest to snatch the statue, named Ngene, becomes sidetracked due to a litany of other worries: his mother's superstitions, the village's infighting between traditional worshipers and Christian converts, and the destitute poverty of both Ike's own family and his former girlfriend. Ndibe flexes his talents in how he balances Ike's heartbreaking journey with an element of humor. The story flows with great anticipation and dread. You root for Ike to find a way out of his dilemma while simultaneously laughing at his foibles and also witnessing the ominous forces that begin to crush down upon him. Not since Junot Diaz's masterpiece, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, have I encountered a literary work like Ndibe's that expertly weaves together a tale of sadness with a thread of humor throughout. Foreign Gods, Inc. is a unique and compelling novel from a writer I have instantly come to admire.
August 10, 2014
Start with sparkling prose, add some humor and sadness with a sprinkle of treason and you have a wonderful novel in Foreign Gods, Inc. The protagonist is Ikechukwu, Ike for short. Ike is a Nigerian currently living in NYC and driving a cab, because despite being degreed he remains locked out of jobs befitting his background due to his accent. With financial problems mounting, a friend sends him an article about an art dealer who maintains a gallery in lower Manhattan and deals in foreign gods. Ike subsequently visits the gallery and decides to fly home to Nigeria to steal his village war god, Ngene, to bring back to NYC and hopefully become wealthy in the process.
The story takes on a satirical tone as he travels to Nigeria and, as what has now become a universal truism, deals with all the officials seeking handouts that feed the underground corruption. Those airport and customs scenes are filled with humor. The push and pull of religious beliefs gets a thorough examination through the conflicting ways of serving something greater than oneself. The history of the village is pictured to give context to the present day dilemmas, and successfully adds to the lushness and fullness of this novel.
The African immigrant experience in this country oftentimes proves to be a difficult obstacle course and leads to tough choices and frequently unfortunate conclusions. Will Ike succeed in his quest? Will he gain riches? You'll have fun finding out these answers in this wild tale. Well done. Would have gone 5 stars were it not for the ending.
The story takes on a satirical tone as he travels to Nigeria and, as what has now become a universal truism, deals with all the officials seeking handouts that feed the underground corruption. Those airport and customs scenes are filled with humor. The push and pull of religious beliefs gets a thorough examination through the conflicting ways of serving something greater than oneself. The history of the village is pictured to give context to the present day dilemmas, and successfully adds to the lushness and fullness of this novel.
The African immigrant experience in this country oftentimes proves to be a difficult obstacle course and leads to tough choices and frequently unfortunate conclusions. Will Ike succeed in his quest? Will he gain riches? You'll have fun finding out these answers in this wild tale. Well done. Would have gone 5 stars were it not for the ending.
October 2, 2013
Stolen gods?! What an interesting concept for a book! Taking something so important as village's ancient idol is, in itself, a heartless and cowardly act. When the thief is personally related to the villagers in the most intimate way, that makes it even more despicable. What type of person would do such a ruthless thing and why?
Ike's journey answers these questions and gives the reader new ideas to ponder as well. I found the clashes between the indigenous religion and Christianity to be quite insigtful. I also loved reading about the modern village life through the eyes of a returned immigrant.
The portion of the novel that deals with Ike's life in the US was full of stereotypes and the dialog seemed unnatural and jarring, but fortunately most of the novel is set in his hometown of Utonki in Nigeria. The Nigerian leg of his journey was written superbly. His angst was palpable on the page. Could he go through with it? Could he?
Ndibe's writing brought me right along with Ike as he traveled. I almost felt as if I were sitting with him in the deity hut as he communed with his uncle, and later when he ultimately made his final decision.
This was a really good read, but I was disappointed with the ending. It left me a bit confused. I don't have a problem with ambiguous endings, but this one really fell flat for me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel, and I'm glad I got a chance to read it.
Ike's journey answers these questions and gives the reader new ideas to ponder as well. I found the clashes between the indigenous religion and Christianity to be quite insigtful. I also loved reading about the modern village life through the eyes of a returned immigrant.
The portion of the novel that deals with Ike's life in the US was full of stereotypes and the dialog seemed unnatural and jarring, but fortunately most of the novel is set in his hometown of Utonki in Nigeria. The Nigerian leg of his journey was written superbly. His angst was palpable on the page. Could he go through with it? Could he?
Ndibe's writing brought me right along with Ike as he traveled. I almost felt as if I were sitting with him in the deity hut as he communed with his uncle, and later when he ultimately made his final decision.
This was a really good read, but I was disappointed with the ending. It left me a bit confused. I don't have a problem with ambiguous endings, but this one really fell flat for me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel, and I'm glad I got a chance to read it.
February 20, 2014
This was a 3.5 read for me that I have rounded up to a 4 because of the freshness of the immigrant storyline and the cleverly crafted protagonist.
When playing by the rules does not pan out for Ike, he becomes more and more despondent over not being successful despite having the proper credentials from a recognized university. After thirteen years of driving a cab, divorced, broke and with a gambling habit, an article sent by a friend spurs Ike on madcap misadventure where ill-fated outcomes seem to stay a step ahead of Ike. In many ways Ike represents an immigrant Everyman with all of the challenges and expectations.
This well-crafted, well-plotted tale captivated me with dark humor and sensitivity against the background of the conflict of traditional and modernity, and the need to succeed and manipulation to achieve this success.
When playing by the rules does not pan out for Ike, he becomes more and more despondent over not being successful despite having the proper credentials from a recognized university. After thirteen years of driving a cab, divorced, broke and with a gambling habit, an article sent by a friend spurs Ike on madcap misadventure where ill-fated outcomes seem to stay a step ahead of Ike. In many ways Ike represents an immigrant Everyman with all of the challenges and expectations.
This well-crafted, well-plotted tale captivated me with dark humor and sensitivity against the background of the conflict of traditional and modernity, and the need to succeed and manipulation to achieve this success.
March 13, 2017
Innanzitutto, prima di addentrarmi anche solo minimamente nei meandri di questo romanzo, vorrei spendere qualche parola su questa pubblicazione in generale. In un Paese dove i colossi acquistano altri colossi per essere ancora più grandi e fagocitarsi così una fetta immensa del mercato editoriale, non deve essere facile essere una piccola casa editrice nata da pochi anni, come lo è Clichy. E in un Paese dove i lettori sono pochi, i gusti stereotipati, gli acquisti rivolti solo ai soliti noti nomi triti e ritriti, o al massimo all'operazione commerciale del momento (leggasi i vari Anna Karenina ristampati con le stesse copertine di After o i libri distillati o qualsivoglia becero trucchetto), è necessario un grandissimo coraggio per mettersi a tradurre e pubblicare autori americani contemporanei che qui sono praticamente degli esimi sconosciuti. Un grandissimo coraggio, ma forse anche un briciolo di coscienza, perché la letteratura non dovrebbe essere solo guadagni e mercato e cose del genere, ma anche qualcosa di più. E dunque complimenti a Clichy, e alla sua collana Black Coffee, con la quale si propone di portare in Italia le voci più fresche e promettenti d'oltreoceano. Che forse non saranno davvero fresche, forse deluderanno qualche promessa, ma quantomeno meritano di essere ascoltate prima di essere giudicate.
Venendo finalmente al romanzo in questione, "Il prezzo di Dio", devo dire di essere rimasta un po' delusa ed un po' sorpresa. O forse solo spiazzata, perché come spesso mi accade ultimamente mi sono approcciata alla lettura aspettandomi cose che in realtà non ho trovato. Avevo letto una recensione in cui si diceva che "Il prezzo di Dio" fosse un romanzo sul senso della spiritualità nel mondo moderno, e leggendo la trama - un uomo di origine nigeriana che torna al suo paese d'origine per rubare la divinità del suo villaggio e venderla alla Foreign Gods, Inc. - mi sarei aspettata un viaggio fisico e spirituale, all'interno sel senso di religiosità e spiritualità di un uomo in bilico fra due mondi. Ma "Il prezzo di Dio" non è quesfo. O meglio, non è solo questo, e di certo questo aspetto non riveste un ruolo centrale nel romanzo.
Ike è un personaggio insopportabile, che sembra incapace di fare qualsiasi cosa per aiutarsi, se non compiere scelte sbagliate, scelte deliberatamente sbagliate e autodistruttive, che lui sa si riveleranno autodistruttive. Non è nemmeno uno di quei personaggi che la finzione letteraria rende apprezzabili nonostante l'insopportabilità, è un personaggio che respinge la simpatia, rende difficile provare empatia o pietà (se non, forse, durante le ultime 50 pagine). Eppure, stranamente, non lo si disprezza, lo si accompagna volentieri nel suo viaggio, e una volta chiuso il libro se ne sente quasi la mancanza. La scrittura di Ndibe è magnetica, un flusso asciutto e perfettamente equilibrato che trascina il lettore senza mai risultare pesante né di semplice intrattenimento. Anche solo per questa prosa varrebbe la pena immergersi in queste 400 pagine che scivolano via come fossero la metà (eh, certo non nel tempo di un film, chissà che qualche esperto di marketing non abbia la bella idea di mutilare anche lui...).
Devo dire che ho avvertito una netta cesura fra la prima e la seconda parte del romanzo, fra New York e Utonki, quasi non si trattasse più dello stesso romanzo: la prima parte è un disperato tentativo di sopravvivere in una società che si chiude a riccio davanti ad un accento diverso, una società che non guarda ai meriti e alle capacità ma solo alle apparenze; è un annaspare fra insoddisfazioni e dolore e la terribile sensazone di vivere sempre fuori dai margini, di essere invisibili, ininfluenti, privi della benché minima importanza. La seconda, invece, è un eterno confronto fradue realtà opposte e speculari, un gioco di rimandi dove Ike non è americano ma non è nemmeno nigeriano, perché vive con "l''uomo bianco", dove Queen Bee si sovrappone ed è opposta a Regina, dove la sua povertà non è neanche concepibile, Ngene si oppone ad un pastore ipocrita e truffatore, l'infanzia all'età adulta. E forse è giusto così, forse la vita di Ike è così, strappata a metà, totalmente in bilico, America e Nigeria, due patrie che non lo sanno accogliere. Devo dire che la seconda parte, a livello di narrazione, mi è piaciuta di più, pur avendomi trascinata meno; mi spiego: la prima parte l'ho letta tutta d'un fiato, pur non essendo del tutto convinta da una trama che avevo paura stesse andando in una direzione fin troppo abusata soprattutto nella letteratura americana: personaggio in difficoltà e insoddisfatto che invece di fare qualcosa di concreto per aiutarsi si crogiola nell'autocommiserazione, nell'alcool e nel gioco d'azzardo. La seconda parte, quella ambientata ad Utonki l'ho invece assaporata in maniera più lenta, senza quella smania di gustarmi un'altro capitolo, ma ho apprezzato decisamente di più la narrazione.
Il finale, poi, è qualcosa di potentissimo. Tutti gli elementi mistici e disturbanti che nel corso del romanzo vengono appena nominati prendono piede con una forza straordinaria, e trascinano Ike - e il lettore - in una spirale sempre più stretta e sempre più confusa di malessere e disagio, fino ad una conclusione che è il perfetto coronamento di tutti i contrasti e i conflitti del romanzo, nonché forse l'unica soluzione possibile ad una situazione che forse avrebbe richiesto un secondo romanzo per essere appianata.
Venendo finalmente al romanzo in questione, "Il prezzo di Dio", devo dire di essere rimasta un po' delusa ed un po' sorpresa. O forse solo spiazzata, perché come spesso mi accade ultimamente mi sono approcciata alla lettura aspettandomi cose che in realtà non ho trovato. Avevo letto una recensione in cui si diceva che "Il prezzo di Dio" fosse un romanzo sul senso della spiritualità nel mondo moderno, e leggendo la trama - un uomo di origine nigeriana che torna al suo paese d'origine per rubare la divinità del suo villaggio e venderla alla Foreign Gods, Inc. - mi sarei aspettata un viaggio fisico e spirituale, all'interno sel senso di religiosità e spiritualità di un uomo in bilico fra due mondi. Ma "Il prezzo di Dio" non è quesfo. O meglio, non è solo questo, e di certo questo aspetto non riveste un ruolo centrale nel romanzo.
Ike è un personaggio insopportabile, che sembra incapace di fare qualsiasi cosa per aiutarsi, se non compiere scelte sbagliate, scelte deliberatamente sbagliate e autodistruttive, che lui sa si riveleranno autodistruttive. Non è nemmeno uno di quei personaggi che la finzione letteraria rende apprezzabili nonostante l'insopportabilità, è un personaggio che respinge la simpatia, rende difficile provare empatia o pietà (se non, forse, durante le ultime 50 pagine). Eppure, stranamente, non lo si disprezza, lo si accompagna volentieri nel suo viaggio, e una volta chiuso il libro se ne sente quasi la mancanza. La scrittura di Ndibe è magnetica, un flusso asciutto e perfettamente equilibrato che trascina il lettore senza mai risultare pesante né di semplice intrattenimento. Anche solo per questa prosa varrebbe la pena immergersi in queste 400 pagine che scivolano via come fossero la metà (eh, certo non nel tempo di un film, chissà che qualche esperto di marketing non abbia la bella idea di mutilare anche lui...).
Devo dire che ho avvertito una netta cesura fra la prima e la seconda parte del romanzo, fra New York e Utonki, quasi non si trattasse più dello stesso romanzo: la prima parte è un disperato tentativo di sopravvivere in una società che si chiude a riccio davanti ad un accento diverso, una società che non guarda ai meriti e alle capacità ma solo alle apparenze; è un annaspare fra insoddisfazioni e dolore e la terribile sensazone di vivere sempre fuori dai margini, di essere invisibili, ininfluenti, privi della benché minima importanza. La seconda, invece, è un eterno confronto fradue realtà opposte e speculari, un gioco di rimandi dove Ike non è americano ma non è nemmeno nigeriano, perché vive con "l''uomo bianco", dove Queen Bee si sovrappone ed è opposta a Regina, dove la sua povertà non è neanche concepibile, Ngene si oppone ad un pastore ipocrita e truffatore, l'infanzia all'età adulta. E forse è giusto così, forse la vita di Ike è così, strappata a metà, totalmente in bilico, America e Nigeria, due patrie che non lo sanno accogliere. Devo dire che la seconda parte, a livello di narrazione, mi è piaciuta di più, pur avendomi trascinata meno; mi spiego: la prima parte l'ho letta tutta d'un fiato, pur non essendo del tutto convinta da una trama che avevo paura stesse andando in una direzione fin troppo abusata soprattutto nella letteratura americana: personaggio in difficoltà e insoddisfatto che invece di fare qualcosa di concreto per aiutarsi si crogiola nell'autocommiserazione, nell'alcool e nel gioco d'azzardo. La seconda parte, quella ambientata ad Utonki l'ho invece assaporata in maniera più lenta, senza quella smania di gustarmi un'altro capitolo, ma ho apprezzato decisamente di più la narrazione.
Il finale, poi, è qualcosa di potentissimo. Tutti gli elementi mistici e disturbanti che nel corso del romanzo vengono appena nominati prendono piede con una forza straordinaria, e trascinano Ike - e il lettore - in una spirale sempre più stretta e sempre più confusa di malessere e disagio, fino ad una conclusione che è il perfetto coronamento di tutti i contrasti e i conflitti del romanzo, nonché forse l'unica soluzione possibile ad una situazione che forse avrebbe richiesto un secondo romanzo per essere appianata.
January 10, 2015
A young Nigerian with a degree in economics goes to the US to pursue the American dream, which he soon realizes is actually a myth, as his job hunting efforts prove fruitless and he ends up driving a cab, and unwisely hooks up with a greedy, demanding American woman. He gets the idea of going back to Nigeria to steal and eventually sell his home village's deity.
Once back in his village, we are presented with a vivid portrayal of colorful characters and conflicting beliefs that inevitably arise due to the cross-cultural confusion that globalization has wrought. Even the hapless 'hero', Ike, is a castaway in his own nebulous existence stripped of cultural identity.
Although many readers found Ike unlikable, he gained my sympathy despite his narrow relentless pursuit of financial success and other character flaws, even as he is overwhelmed by the futility of his own efforts.
While the novel is actually a serious commentary on how the new culture of materialism has overshadowed traditional values, as well as a scathing critique of a corruption in Nigeria, it is made utterly enjoyable by a keen drollness that is wrapped in the unique wit of a distinctly West African flavor.
Once back in his village, we are presented with a vivid portrayal of colorful characters and conflicting beliefs that inevitably arise due to the cross-cultural confusion that globalization has wrought. Even the hapless 'hero', Ike, is a castaway in his own nebulous existence stripped of cultural identity.
Although many readers found Ike unlikable, he gained my sympathy despite his narrow relentless pursuit of financial success and other character flaws, even as he is overwhelmed by the futility of his own efforts.
While the novel is actually a serious commentary on how the new culture of materialism has overshadowed traditional values, as well as a scathing critique of a corruption in Nigeria, it is made utterly enjoyable by a keen drollness that is wrapped in the unique wit of a distinctly West African flavor.
February 18, 2014
Really good; I couldn't read the last twenty pages I was too wrapped up in what was happening, or going to happen - I had to skip ahead the last to find out what happens, so I could just go back and read it without the stress.
Kind of depressing - I think Ike as a wayward son, as a man come up in the world and, now, having basically left or lost or never made his real ties to it (to people in it, and maybe to himself (ideals, hopes, childhood, etc.)) planning on a serious betrayal - is not just a tragic, Judas-like character, but also really real; I connected with him in ways I didn't want to, and the book kind of got under my skin.
Point being, not an easy read for me, but very engaging. Excited to see Ndibe at the Festival of Faith & Writing this spring.
Kind of depressing - I think Ike as a wayward son, as a man come up in the world and, now, having basically left or lost or never made his real ties to it (to people in it, and maybe to himself (ideals, hopes, childhood, etc.)) planning on a serious betrayal - is not just a tragic, Judas-like character, but also really real; I connected with him in ways I didn't want to, and the book kind of got under my skin.
Point being, not an easy read for me, but very engaging. Excited to see Ndibe at the Festival of Faith & Writing this spring.
July 13, 2014
This novel prompted me to ratify and enact a New Rule for Ryan's Reading: when a male author consistently describes female characters by the sexual attributes males find prurient, yet fails to describe the bodies or body parts of men in a similar fashion, I will Stop Reading The Book.
This failed the new test in less than 30 pages. Should i have read on? Perhaps, but I read this novel, enough of it anyway.
This failed the new test in less than 30 pages. Should i have read on? Perhaps, but I read this novel, enough of it anyway.
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June 6, 2020Read February 2015
February 23, 2025
No big review because I feel others have done it well. But my two cents is that I didn’t like the ending. I don’t like when authors leave you hanging. The whole book went hard on all things and then to leave us hanging at the end is annoying.
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