What do you think?
Rate this book
Things Are Good Now
Set in East Africa, the Middle East, Canada, and the U.S., Things Are Good Now examines the weight of the migrant experience on the human psyche. In Djamila Ibrahim’s powerful story collection, women, men, and children who’ve crossed continents in search of a better life find themselves struggling with the chaos of displacement and the religious and cultural clashes they face in their new homes. A maid who travelled to the Middle East lured by the prospect of a well-paying job is trapped in the Syrian war. A female ex-freedom fighter immigrates to Canada only to be relegated to cleaning public washrooms and hospital sheets. A disillusioned civil servant struggles to come to grips with his lover’s imminent departure. A young Muslim Canadian woman who’d married her way to California realizes she’s made a mistake. Things Are Good Now is about remorse and the power of memory, and about the hardships of a post-9/11 reality that labels many as suspicious or dangerous because of their names or skin colour alone. Most importantly, it’s about the compromises we make to belong.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2018
6 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 4, 2021
“I realized then that home and belonging would never be clear-cut notions for me…My heart and mind will always be vacillating between two possibilities, eyeing two realities at the same time. And I felt something like an acceptance, a new way of being in the world.”
From 'Spilled Water' [short story] in THINGS ARE GOOD NOW by Djamila Ibrahim, 2018, @houseofanansi
Fantastic collection of 9 stories centering on East African immigrants (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia) to Canada. We have stories told by an Ethiopian child adopted by a white Canadian family, two college friends who diverge in their beliefs but come together after a crime, a mother who mourns her son, lovers torn between alliances thousands of miles away.
Ibrahim, in an interview states “I wanted to tell stories that were not told in Canadian literature. I was inspired by Black female writers.” Born in Ethiopia, her family migrated to Canada when she was a child, and she has family on both sides of the Ethiopia/Eritrea border. She writes with care and empathy, from multiple perspectives - first and second generation, male/female, young/old, immigrants/refugees. For this book, she interviewed other people within her community, the voices of many coming together in these wonderful short stories .
While all of the stories were great, the ones that really stood out to me were:
▫️Little Copper Bullets
▫️Spilled Water
▫️Not a Small Thing
▫️You Made Me Do This
From 'Spilled Water' [short story] in THINGS ARE GOOD NOW by Djamila Ibrahim, 2018, @houseofanansi
Fantastic collection of 9 stories centering on East African immigrants (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia) to Canada. We have stories told by an Ethiopian child adopted by a white Canadian family, two college friends who diverge in their beliefs but come together after a crime, a mother who mourns her son, lovers torn between alliances thousands of miles away.
Ibrahim, in an interview states “I wanted to tell stories that were not told in Canadian literature. I was inspired by Black female writers.” Born in Ethiopia, her family migrated to Canada when she was a child, and she has family on both sides of the Ethiopia/Eritrea border. She writes with care and empathy, from multiple perspectives - first and second generation, male/female, young/old, immigrants/refugees. For this book, she interviewed other people within her community, the voices of many coming together in these wonderful short stories .
While all of the stories were great, the ones that really stood out to me were:
▫️Little Copper Bullets
▫️Spilled Water
▫️Not a Small Thing
▫️You Made Me Do This
October 5, 2020
4.5 stars rounded to 5 since why does this wonderful author not have more publications yet?!!
I am a white immigrant child of the 60s/70s in Canada. This book resonated - each story stands alone - and I enjoyed all of them. I love the cultural connection these excellent stories provided for me.
I am a white immigrant child of the 60s/70s in Canada. This book resonated - each story stands alone - and I enjoyed all of them. I love the cultural connection these excellent stories provided for me.
February 27, 2018
A well-written set of short stories, but unfortunately lacking in breadth. While it is important for collections like these to have some thematic consistency throughout, Things Are Good Now is so tonally one-dimensional throughout. The main characters from story to story seem to blur. However, Djamila Ibrahim has opened an eye-opening portal into the Ethiopian diaspora and pedals the reader through this particular immigrant experience in a contemporary Canadian context. I think I would be more interested in a full-length novel from Ibrahim - couldn't quite sink my teeth into these short (and they did seem short) stories, but she shows great promise for a more robust epic.
November 11, 2017
This brilliant collection of short stories delve into the complexities of identity embedded in the experiences of migrants, as Djamila Ibrahim demonstrates humanity amid adversity!
March 7, 2019
I really, really like this powerful collection of shorts.
I teach immigrants to Canada and I feel like this collection gave me a peek into some of the hardships, that I knew they were dealing with- but a better understanding.
I thought the writing was beautiful and the different viewpoints and voices told in a wide range, but each with meaning.
I teach immigrants to Canada and I feel like this collection gave me a peek into some of the hardships, that I knew they were dealing with- but a better understanding.
I thought the writing was beautiful and the different viewpoints and voices told in a wide range, but each with meaning.
February 24, 2019
A beautifully crafted short story collection by an Ethiopian-Canadian author, with stories exploring cultural, familial, and relationship ties, memory, and the compromises we make in our lives. Highly recommended.
June 6, 2018
This collection of short stories gives you glimpses into the harsh realities that immigrants may face in Canada (or elsewhere). It offered a unique perspective, one I haven't read about before. It was fairly serious, and I felt some guilt for never having had to struggle as much as any of the characters. I felt all the stories seemed to cut off too soon. I always wanted to know what happened next.
Note: I received a free copy from the publisher after winning a Giveaway.
Note: I received a free copy from the publisher after winning a Giveaway.
January 21, 2025
Riveting collection of short stories. Spilled Water, the story of a transracial adoptee hit home as someone who is biracial and adopted by white parents. The micro-aggressions masked as " curiosity" and comments regarding otherness that are to "no harm" if they come from someone with an (insincere) smile are unfortunately the least of the horrors that can come from these adoptions. Such as the heartbreaking case of Hana Grace-Rose Williams, or the Hart family murders.
Weaponizing the child's past as a way to get the child to comply is a cruel method of adoptive parenting that I know all too well and read in the book. It reminded me of comments I grew up hearing such as "if you misbehave, we can send you right back to the foster home", or "look at all we gave you. You came from nothing, so you better be grateful".
Where, and who is home, if it can be swept from underneath you so quick? You were welcomed into the home but the door was never shut behind you - it feels like you are a visitor and must be reminded of that.
Even having cousins say they don't see you as their "real" cousin, or aunts and uncles who are quickly punitive of your behaviour way before your cousins who exhibit the same actions as you. The list could go on. The experiences were so similar, I am glad the author brings to light this serious issue in such an authentic and grounded way. Thank you Djamila, your work is deeply appreciated.
Weaponizing the child's past as a way to get the child to comply is a cruel method of adoptive parenting that I know all too well and read in the book. It reminded me of comments I grew up hearing such as "if you misbehave, we can send you right back to the foster home", or "look at all we gave you. You came from nothing, so you better be grateful".
Where, and who is home, if it can be swept from underneath you so quick? You were welcomed into the home but the door was never shut behind you - it feels like you are a visitor and must be reminded of that.
Even having cousins say they don't see you as their "real" cousin, or aunts and uncles who are quickly punitive of your behaviour way before your cousins who exhibit the same actions as you. The list could go on. The experiences were so similar, I am glad the author brings to light this serious issue in such an authentic and grounded way. Thank you Djamila, your work is deeply appreciated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2018
Most of these stories do not end with a totally happy ending but a lot do not end sadly because the characters have their moment of hope and perseverance at the end. At the end, they have strong feelings of acceptance and understanding of their difficult circumstances, and then hope and strength. And I guess that's what life is a lot of the time. You are stuck in not the best circumstances but all you
can do is move forward, try your best and have hope.
A lot of books talk about what you see on the outside but we got to see what people are thinking and feeling, which affects me even more. I just kept feeling deep feelings of sadness. The fact that they were all short stories and cut off sooner just leaves an even more lasting effect after we finish reading. I really liked reading these stories.
can do is move forward, try your best and have hope.
A lot of books talk about what you see on the outside but we got to see what people are thinking and feeling, which affects me even more. I just kept feeling deep feelings of sadness. The fact that they were all short stories and cut off sooner just leaves an even more lasting effect after we finish reading. I really liked reading these stories.
May 1, 2023
A fascinating story collection by an Ethiopian-Canadian author, THINGS ARE GOOD NOW tells stories of immigration, history, racism, Islamophobia, trauma and memory. Djamila Ibrahim is a powerful writer who does not shy away from difficult topics and their complexities. Her stories are extremely important to understand what it means to be an immigrant and/or refugee in modern Canadian society. The stories are complex and multilayered, and this works for the most part, but sometimes the point of view in these stories, making them slightly confusing. Overall, however, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories as a reader, a Canadian, and someone who works in the immigration sector as the author of these stories once did. A very good story collection!
December 2, 2017
I won this book from Goodreads and found it to be so much more riveting than I expected.
In several short stories the author tells of the experiences and inner thoughts and feeling of a few of the mostly women and girls who have immigrated to Canada from Eithopia. You are never quite sure where these stories age going, whether they will have a happy ending or end in tragedy but then, in the last paragraph or sentence they end up with a mostly satisfying ending.
These stories give the reader a deeply personal in depth look into some of the experiences of these people and I highly recommend this book.
In several short stories the author tells of the experiences and inner thoughts and feeling of a few of the mostly women and girls who have immigrated to Canada from Eithopia. You are never quite sure where these stories age going, whether they will have a happy ending or end in tragedy but then, in the last paragraph or sentence they end up with a mostly satisfying ending.
These stories give the reader a deeply personal in depth look into some of the experiences of these people and I highly recommend this book.
January 24, 2019
In her debut book of short stories, Ibrahim delves into the lives of girls, women and men who all connect to Eritrea or Ethiopia. They are immigrants, refugees, and transplants to Canada who aren't immediately "grateful" or fully acclimated.
Her women are strong, resilient, and willful, though from the outside of their narratives, we might try to see them as victims oppressed by culture and religion (and gender). All of her characters deal with a sense of doubleness or otherness in healthy and unhealthy ways. It's very hard to go from being brutalized in prison to staring at shelves and shelves of stuff in a Canadian grocery store.
A different view of the Canadian experience.
Her women are strong, resilient, and willful, though from the outside of their narratives, we might try to see them as victims oppressed by culture and religion (and gender). All of her characters deal with a sense of doubleness or otherness in healthy and unhealthy ways. It's very hard to go from being brutalized in prison to staring at shelves and shelves of stuff in a Canadian grocery store.
A different view of the Canadian experience.
March 18, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Goodreads and Anansi in exchange for a fair review.
I'm not a big reader of short stories, but the nine stories in this book captivated me. Stories of immigrants, mostly refugees, torn between love of homeland and appreciation of a new beginning, beset by anti-immigrant sentiment, misogyny, and pulled away from Western life by tradition and religion.
Beautifully and simply written, this book should be read by everyone in Canada.
Highly recommended.
I'm not a big reader of short stories, but the nine stories in this book captivated me. Stories of immigrants, mostly refugees, torn between love of homeland and appreciation of a new beginning, beset by anti-immigrant sentiment, misogyny, and pulled away from Western life by tradition and religion.
Beautifully and simply written, this book should be read by everyone in Canada.
Highly recommended.
May 14, 2018
This collection was captivating, pulling you into every story with smooth, even poetic writing. Each story gave you a glimpse of someone's immigrant experience, touching on issues around settlement, war, religion, abuse and love. Although each story left me wanting to know what happens next, it was written is such a way that it felt okay I didn't know the end of the story because often in life you only get a glimpse of a person's story and your imagination fills in the rest. Best book I've read this year so far, would definitely recommend.
April 27, 2019
This is the best short story collection that I have read in years. I often struggle with short stories -- so much work to invest in the characters and then the story is done (my failing). Anyway, these are great; each time, I felt that the investment was worthwhile.
These are all stories of women from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. They are all dealing with immigration in different ways. While they all say "things are good now", it is clear that they are all struggling with change.
These are all stories of women from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. They are all dealing with immigration in different ways. While they all say "things are good now", it is clear that they are all struggling with change.
October 18, 2019
Like many of my experiences with short story collections, this is a bit of a pick-and-mix...and the final three stories in the collection didn't really connect with me on any level. That said, the first five stories -- especially the one that shares this collection's title -- I found fascinating and far more emotionally resonant. If you're planning on picking up this volume, definitely make a bee-line to the short story "Things Are Good Now".
December 2, 2021
Immigrants and their experience in their new homes is something I would love to read more about, but I'm afraid these stories do very little for me. They are repetitive and the writing is weak - didactic and full of inelegant exposition. Many of the stories I read (I abandoned this about two thirds in) were so clinical in their descriptions that they felt like sketches of stories yet to be fleshed out - ah, if only they were fleshed out.
December 29, 2017
Thank you to Djamila Ibrahim and Astoria for the free advance copy!!
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were engaging, well-written and poignant. Each one captured a different facet of the immigrant and/or refugee experience and was well worth the read.
Recommended if you enjoy short fiction, diverse fiction or short-but-meaningful reads.
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were engaging, well-written and poignant. Each one captured a different facet of the immigrant and/or refugee experience and was well worth the read.
Recommended if you enjoy short fiction, diverse fiction or short-but-meaningful reads.
November 17, 2017
I won this debut collection of short stories by Canadian author Djamila Ibrahim in a Goodreads contest. Ibrahim was born in Ethiopia and came to Canada with her family in 1990. Her stories are about immigrants and women's rights. I really enjoyed her stories and her writing. I look forward to reading more by Ibrahim.
August 6, 2018
Things Are Good Now is a collection of short stories based on the experiences of men, women and children who find themselves in a country far-removed from the experience of their homeland. Their Canadian experience is referred to in their story but the book focuses on snapshots of the experience these people had in the North African countries of their birth. I found the stories interesting - some more interesting than others. Some of the experience of being in a strange country resonated with me as I had experienced those feelings myself. What I hadn't experienced was the refugee experience. Ibrahim paints the picture for us with no judgement; a picture which helps the reader to understand the choices that a person may make. I enjoyed reading this collection, and it is one that I will pass onto my children to read.
April 27, 2018
There are some really great stories in here, and others I did not like as much! But the potential is definitely there. Will follow the author and see what else she is up to! Quite enjoyed the insight she gave on a variety of Eastern African/Horn of African communities...
September 12, 2018
Very interesting short stories that can help the reader to understand the emotional, physical, psychological and societal challenges that refugees and immigrants face during and after the process of leaving their homeland.
March 3, 2020
Things are good now by Djamila Ibrahim. A collection of stories of immigrant life. There's love, loss sorrow and choice. Each story bringing up a new emotion whereby we as readers see ourself in those characters.
March 6, 2021
I wanted to like this book but couldn’t really get fully immersed in the stories. I listened to it as an audiobook which is always harder. I liked the writing style in that it was accessible and the voice was great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2022
//3.5//
Stories:
* Little Copper Bullets: 2 ⭐️
* Spilled Water: 5⭐️ I liked the ending and what scared her.
* Not A Small Thing: 3 ⭐️
* A Kept Woman: 4⭐️
* Things Are Good Now: 3⭐️
* Children Always Stay: 4⭐️
* Learning to Meditate: 5 ⭐️
* You Made Me Do This: 5⭐️
* Heading Somewhere: 3⭐️
Stories:
* Little Copper Bullets: 2 ⭐️
* Spilled Water: 5⭐️ I liked the ending and what scared her.
* Not A Small Thing: 3 ⭐️
* A Kept Woman: 4⭐️
* Things Are Good Now: 3⭐️
* Children Always Stay: 4⭐️
* Learning to Meditate: 5 ⭐️
* You Made Me Do This: 5⭐️
* Heading Somewhere: 3⭐️
January 20, 2018
A series of short stories about people leaving their country and their struggles. Thinking about loved ones helps them out.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
February 19, 2018
A series of short stories.
September 18, 2018
An excellent collection of immigrsnt experiences. Very well written.
Read
December 6, 2019Lots of longing and romance in these stories about new Canadians and refugees. While definitely stitched with optimism, the overall tone is on the woeful side.
November 17, 2020
humankind, good and evil at anytime anywhere
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews