What do you think?
Rate this book
The Spider King's Daughter
Seventeen-year-old Abike Johnson is the favourite child of her wealthy father. She lives in a sprawling mansion in Lagos, protected by armed guards and ferried everywhere in a huge black jeep.
A world away from Abike's mansion, in the city's slums, lives an eighteen-year-old hawker struggling to make sense of the world. His family lost everything after his father's death and now he sells ice cream at the side of the road to support his mother and sister.
When Abike buys ice cream from the hawker one afternoon, they strike up a tentative and unlikely romance. But as they grow closer, revelations from the past threaten their relationship and both Abike and the hawker must decide where their loyalties lie.
A world away from Abike's mansion, in the city's slums, lives an eighteen-year-old hawker struggling to make sense of the world. His family lost everything after his father's death and now he sells ice cream at the side of the road to support his mother and sister.
When Abike buys ice cream from the hawker one afternoon, they strike up a tentative and unlikely romance. But as they grow closer, revelations from the past threaten their relationship and both Abike and the hawker must decide where their loyalties lie.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
65 people are currently reading
2942 people want to read
About the author
Chibundu Onuzo
10 books665 followersChibundu Onuzo was born in Nigeria in 1991 in Lagos and is the youngest of four children. She is a History graduate from King's College London and is currently an MSc student in Public Policy at the University College of London.
(from http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...)
(from http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
September 2, 2015
4.5 stars
Told in the thoughts of two young people living very different lives, this novel showed me aspects of life in Lagos that I've encountered in other novels in a new light, and engaged feelings and ideas about romance and growing up. Crucially, it's about misreading and misunderstanding, but more subtly about what slips from view through the lens of socialised expectations. Sometimes, Onuzo rigorously controls the truth, but sometimes she allows conflicting versions to hover unconfirmed, drawing the reader into a mode of self-questioning: what are my own preconceptions about this?
As well as deep, pervasive, intriguingly shifting misunderstandings, fatal timing drives the plot. A very simple story turns out to have an unsavoury tangle of complex histories beneath it. Most of the characters' backstories engaged some degree of compassion, but I wanted to hear more from Joke and the hawker's mother, whom the narrative relegates to functional parts of his circumstances. His (fairly benign) patriarchal mindset is revealed in his treatment of both, and it's impossible not to sympathise with his frustration, but I longed for more pointed remarks from them, although this longing itself reflects Onuzo's admirable restraint.
Though I think this would be enjoyable in either case, whether or not you like the characters of Abike and the hawker will surely influence feelings about this read. Personally, I liked both of them, and felt that in bringing them together Onuzo brilliantly demonstrates how difficult histories of trauma make it difficult for people to relate to and love each other. That Abike was able to move towards healing and embrace vulnerability and openness did not seem to me to reflect her privilege, but rather her innate strength. For me, her commitment relates to the story of the hawker's benefactress and her beau, Emeka, who both maintain their dignity, generosity and sense of justice in the face of circumstances. The hawker makes a different choice; perhaps he had suffered too much to escape from his inflexible view. In my reading, the relational dynamics of this book are deeply feminist, forming a strong, subtle and nuanced critique of patriarchal family structures and attitudes under the smartly styled and original contemporary surface.
I can't wait to read more from Chibundu Onuzo - I can just feel her next is going to be even better
Told in the thoughts of two young people living very different lives, this novel showed me aspects of life in Lagos that I've encountered in other novels in a new light, and engaged feelings and ideas about romance and growing up. Crucially, it's about misreading and misunderstanding, but more subtly about what slips from view through the lens of socialised expectations. Sometimes, Onuzo rigorously controls the truth, but sometimes she allows conflicting versions to hover unconfirmed, drawing the reader into a mode of self-questioning: what are my own preconceptions about this?
As well as deep, pervasive, intriguingly shifting misunderstandings, fatal timing drives the plot. A very simple story turns out to have an unsavoury tangle of complex histories beneath it. Most of the characters' backstories engaged some degree of compassion, but I wanted to hear more from Joke and the hawker's mother, whom the narrative relegates to functional parts of his circumstances. His (fairly benign) patriarchal mindset is revealed in his treatment of both, and it's impossible not to sympathise with his frustration, but I longed for more pointed remarks from them, although this longing itself reflects Onuzo's admirable restraint.
Though I think this would be enjoyable in either case, whether or not you like the characters of Abike and the hawker will surely influence feelings about this read. Personally, I liked both of them, and felt that in bringing them together Onuzo brilliantly demonstrates how difficult histories of trauma make it difficult for people to relate to and love each other. That Abike was able to move towards healing and embrace vulnerability and openness did not seem to me to reflect her privilege, but rather her innate strength. For me, her commitment relates to the story of the hawker's benefactress and her beau, Emeka, who both maintain their dignity, generosity and sense of justice in the face of circumstances. The hawker makes a different choice; perhaps he had suffered too much to escape from his inflexible view. In my reading, the relational dynamics of this book are deeply feminist, forming a strong, subtle and nuanced critique of patriarchal family structures and attitudes under the smartly styled and original contemporary surface.
I can't wait to read more from Chibundu Onuzo - I can just feel her next is going to be even better
July 21, 2012
It’s near impossible to read a novel in one sitting these days. Between twitter, Facebook, and real life, who has the time and focus it takes to do such a thing? But a few days ago, I read Chibundu Onuzo’s The Spider King’s Daughter in one blow. Not an extraordinary feat, though, since Spider King’s Daughter is an irresistible page-turner. How often do you get to read a Shakespearean love story set in Lagos? Yes, miracles do happen. A street hawker and an aristocrat can find romance in a city designed to keep the rich and the poor as far apart as possible.
Spider King’s Daughter is about parallel worlds colliding. Abike is headed for Yale University in the Fall. Runner G is happy if he sells two thousand Naira worth of ice cream in one day. Abike lives like royalty in a Lagos palace: well-manicured gardens adorned with bronze statues, pools, and fountains. Runner G wades through garbage to get to his crumbling Mile 12 flat that he shares with a sister and a depressive mother. Abike’s house is an impenetrable fortress. Runner G sleeps to the sound of gunshots coming from neighboring flats being raided by armed robbers. But in a city with a population density of about 20, 000 people per square kilometer, it’s very easy for incomparably different lives to crash into one another. That’s exactly what happens one hot summer day. Bored to death during a chauffeured ride from school, Abike breaks her rules and rolls down the window of a her air-conditioned car to buy ice cream from a boy she’ll thereafter fondly refer to as “my hawker.” There’ll be more ice creams bought and then a date, followed by a few more dates. But just when things seem so rosy, a dark and troubling past will come calling and put everything they’ve ever held dear to the test.
I love that the story starts out as your usual boy meets girl romance. And because Onuzo is such a good writer, you’re taken in by the chemistry between the two love birds. I can’t count how many times I cried out “Awww…this is soooooo cute.” But just when you’re getting used to the warmth and fuzziness of a traditional love story, things begin to get dark and never stop until the shocker of an ending that sends you reeling with the heady pleasure that only a good story teller can make you feel. As far as story goes, Spider King’s Daughter is easily an unputdownable. What I really love is the quirky details Onuzo uses to draw a compelling picture of life on the streets of Lagos. I’ve seen hawkers from the safe distance of a comfy car or through the broken window of a Danfo bus, but I’d never have guessed what it was like to be one. Thanks to Onuzo, I have a sense of the financial logic behind hawking, what the profit margins are, how the pecking order works, and what it feels like running after cars and putting up with abusive and impatient customers.
It’s refreshing when novelists play with form, no matter how subtle. The story is set up in such a way that the reader gets a first-person account of events from both Abike and Runner G. It’s fascinating to see how both characters narrate the same events differently, the kinds of details they choose to see or not see, include or keep out, perhaps, because while one is looking from above the other sees things from down below.
The arrival of Spider King’s Daughter did not catch me by surprise. I’ve been looking out for it ever since 19 year old Onuzo became the youngest female writer ever signed on by the prestigious British publishing house, Faber and Faber. I love my Chimamanda Adichie, but it’s also nice to see another young Nigerian female writer being given a chance to do her thing. It’s both a relief and a joy to see Onuzo write such a delectable debut novel and to know that there’ll definitely be more where this came from.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 37THSTATE
The Spider King's DaughterChibundu Onuzo
December 1, 2024
A very quick read about revenge and I enjoyed it. Yes, it was a little (a lot) unrealistic but I thought it was great.
January 10, 2021
It had me in the first half not going to lie😂 but it gradually grew more and more lacklustre to a truly plateaued ending.
December 7, 2015
I didn't love the ending but this book was a page turner I remember. 4 stars. Looking forward to the author's second book.
February 9, 2020
Describing this book is going to be difficult.
The Spider King's daughter starts as an insight in the beginnings of a young love. They are both eighteen, young, naive and in love, but the similarities end there: she is immensely rich and he is a hawker (selling products in the street to the passengers of the cars passing by), she is the only daughter of an evil man, he is as good and generous as they come. This could have been another "Romeo and Juliet" story but it is not. At about 45- 50 % of the book, the plot turns into a mystery...
The Good:
The writing is captivating (a bit confusing in the beginning) and takes us to numerous places: emotion land: with some of the character's background stories and the main love story, comedy city: some of the boy's reaction are funny, mystery world: the end of the book is full of twists and suspense.
The main characters: Abike and the Hawker, are relatable and enjoyable, we also get a good description of some aspects of Nigeria's way of life.
The bad:
The beginning was very confusing, the story relies on several voices, and it's not until 10- 20% of the book that it settles to 2 narratives : Abike and the Hawker. At first, I couldn't tell who was talking and it took me some time to get past the first pages. My second objection is personal, I was deeply invested in the romance, and once the plot became a murder mystery I didn't enjoy it as much.
The Spider King's daughter starts as an insight in the beginnings of a young love. They are both eighteen, young, naive and in love, but the similarities end there: she is immensely rich and he is a hawker (selling products in the street to the passengers of the cars passing by), she is the only daughter of an evil man, he is as good and generous as they come. This could have been another "Romeo and Juliet" story but it is not. At about 45- 50 % of the book, the plot turns into a mystery...
The Good:
The writing is captivating (a bit confusing in the beginning) and takes us to numerous places: emotion land: with some of the character's background stories and the main love story, comedy city: some of the boy's reaction are funny, mystery world: the end of the book is full of twists and suspense.
The main characters: Abike and the Hawker, are relatable and enjoyable, we also get a good description of some aspects of Nigeria's way of life.
The bad:
The beginning was very confusing, the story relies on several voices, and it's not until 10- 20% of the book that it settles to 2 narratives : Abike and the Hawker. At first, I couldn't tell who was talking and it took me some time to get past the first pages. My second objection is personal, I was deeply invested in the romance, and once the plot became a murder mystery I didn't enjoy it as much.
March 27, 2016
!!! http://africanbookaddict.com/2014/12/...
What a page-turner! This novel was more or less a thriller. Its heavily driven by suspense and was written concisely. After the first 30 pages, you could clearly see that Abike is a controlling bitch, and I loove it! The hawker's situation is rather unfortunate. I sympathize with his predicament....but I did not agree with the way he strived to achieve justice for his family and his friends. Chibundu Onuzo thought this storyline through thoroughly! I'm very impressed- the intricacies of this novel go deep.
What a page-turner! This novel was more or less a thriller. Its heavily driven by suspense and was written concisely. After the first 30 pages, you could clearly see that Abike is a controlling bitch, and I loove it! The hawker's situation is rather unfortunate. I sympathize with his predicament....but I did not agree with the way he strived to achieve justice for his family and his friends. Chibundu Onuzo thought this storyline through thoroughly! I'm very impressed- the intricacies of this novel go deep.
October 13, 2020
Chibundu Onuzo wrote this when she was 21. I don’t know what I was doing at 21 - more likely wandering around with nothing in my head. I love stories set in Nigeria and Onuzo makes the country come alive.
At the start, it seemed to me to be something of a Nigerian Romeo and Juliet. But Onuzo moves past the romance to give us more of the grime and grit that’s there in every society. In this quest, though, I feel the story fell apart toward the end. It was messy and incomprehensible, and that kind of ruined the book because it had built up so beautifully until then.
At the start, it seemed to me to be something of a Nigerian Romeo and Juliet. But Onuzo moves past the romance to give us more of the grime and grit that’s there in every society. In this quest, though, I feel the story fell apart toward the end. It was messy and incomprehensible, and that kind of ruined the book because it had built up so beautifully until then.
October 15, 2019
This was a page-turner, a dark intense novel, and the author, Onuzo has a way her words flowed so captivating and intriguing🙌🏾
Picture this: Born in Priviledge according to Nigerian standards with servants, fleet of cars, private schools and abroad vacations, all that to end when the lawyer father passed on resulting in him becoming a hawker to have a living for his sister Joke and his widowed mother. Such was the life of Runner G as he was known on the streets of Lagos where he sold ice-cream.
On the other hand, there is Abike a spoiled daughter to a business mogul Mr Johnson. She is the favorite of his kids(she has 9 half brothers who don’t have the same Privilege), she gets everything she wants but also has to live under the scrutiny of her father and they always play this game of ‘Frustrations’ with the father pushing each other’s to prove you no pushover and keeping scores🤦🏾♀️😂Rich people’s problems lol
All the drama starts one afternoon when these 2 beings from different worlds meet, with Runner G selling his ice cream on the roadside Abike’s driver in their Jeep used on their way home from the private school she went. As the friendship develops, some hidden truths are revealed, being torn between status or lower standards for a hawker but true self always comes out and Abike couldn’t let a moment just pass, she was her Father’s daughter after all. One would think it’s a fairytale story of poor boy meets rich girl, fall in love and happy ever after🤣🤣🤣 never this is not it🙅🏾♀️🙅🏾♀️. Yes it starts with the warmish loving feeling when the friendship begins, with ice cream dates but then it ends up going to darker places. As the story unfolds, you get to see the scheming, deception, conniving, cruelty, loyalty among friends, tribalism, the art of pretense and levels of corruption in Nigeria all spanning in the book.
This was a relatable life story, getting into detail about the day to day life a hawker, rich private school students going to Ivy League universities in America and people of Lagos in motion. I loved how she wrote the book from both Runner G and Abike perspective points of the same events, with how each sow the events and described them differently👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿
Picture this: Born in Priviledge according to Nigerian standards with servants, fleet of cars, private schools and abroad vacations, all that to end when the lawyer father passed on resulting in him becoming a hawker to have a living for his sister Joke and his widowed mother. Such was the life of Runner G as he was known on the streets of Lagos where he sold ice-cream.
On the other hand, there is Abike a spoiled daughter to a business mogul Mr Johnson. She is the favorite of his kids(she has 9 half brothers who don’t have the same Privilege), she gets everything she wants but also has to live under the scrutiny of her father and they always play this game of ‘Frustrations’ with the father pushing each other’s to prove you no pushover and keeping scores🤦🏾♀️😂Rich people’s problems lol
All the drama starts one afternoon when these 2 beings from different worlds meet, with Runner G selling his ice cream on the roadside Abike’s driver in their Jeep used on their way home from the private school she went. As the friendship develops, some hidden truths are revealed, being torn between status or lower standards for a hawker but true self always comes out and Abike couldn’t let a moment just pass, she was her Father’s daughter after all. One would think it’s a fairytale story of poor boy meets rich girl, fall in love and happy ever after🤣🤣🤣 never this is not it🙅🏾♀️🙅🏾♀️. Yes it starts with the warmish loving feeling when the friendship begins, with ice cream dates but then it ends up going to darker places. As the story unfolds, you get to see the scheming, deception, conniving, cruelty, loyalty among friends, tribalism, the art of pretense and levels of corruption in Nigeria all spanning in the book.
This was a relatable life story, getting into detail about the day to day life a hawker, rich private school students going to Ivy League universities in America and people of Lagos in motion. I loved how she wrote the book from both Runner G and Abike perspective points of the same events, with how each sow the events and described them differently👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿
March 10, 2022
Underwhelming
This book is about a man, his daughter, his disowned sons and a hawker. I kept reading hoping to connect the dots. Hoping for a huge revelation that'll make the painful tedious reading, make sense. But I finished this book, and there was none.
I think this book has potential, it just wasn't written as well as it should have.
Quite disappointed tbh.
This book is about a man, his daughter, his disowned sons and a hawker. I kept reading hoping to connect the dots. Hoping for a huge revelation that'll make the painful tedious reading, make sense. But I finished this book, and there was none.
I think this book has potential, it just wasn't written as well as it should have.
Quite disappointed tbh.
June 15, 2017
Chibundu's debut novel is a great start. It will take you one sitting to go through and that's always a plus.
This is a story of two teenagers from very different backgrounds whose whose paths cross in a very common 'African setting' yet their lives are more intertwined than they know. Basically the novel unravels their 2nd generation relationship and link it to the 1st generation connection. Her narration style of using the two characters to each tell their own version of events regarding the same encounter is welcomed.
Chibundu reminds me why I love literature..... the cheap thrill I get when immersed in an easy to follow yet suspenseful plot. My issue with such dramatic novels however, is that the buildup is worked on thoroughly and the unfolding at the end is almost a careless rush.
Would recommend it as it is a definite page turner and such are never a waste of time. Also, debuting this at 21years of age is very admirable!
This is a story of two teenagers from very different backgrounds whose whose paths cross in a very common 'African setting' yet their lives are more intertwined than they know. Basically the novel unravels their 2nd generation relationship and link it to the 1st generation connection. Her narration style of using the two characters to each tell their own version of events regarding the same encounter is welcomed.
Chibundu reminds me why I love literature..... the cheap thrill I get when immersed in an easy to follow yet suspenseful plot. My issue with such dramatic novels however, is that the buildup is worked on thoroughly and the unfolding at the end is almost a careless rush.
Would recommend it as it is a definite page turner and such are never a waste of time. Also, debuting this at 21years of age is very admirable!
January 5, 2020
This is a generous 4* due what I've classified as a very dissatisfying end. My friend said she kissed her teeth and slammed the book down. Lol we were maaaad.
I really enjoyed this though, 1. Cause it's a Nigerian book and I don't read nearly enough.
2. The characters are different from the stereotypes that I've come to expect from books about POC. It's not a coming of age story or a story of fighting adversity (which aren't bad at all but I love just Reading a book about daily life you know)
3. It's romance, I was gonna be a sucker
honestly the author's pacing is excellent and I sat in my train reading not realising we'd stopped 10mins after reaching the final destination.
I really enjoyed this though, 1. Cause it's a Nigerian book and I don't read nearly enough.
2. The characters are different from the stereotypes that I've come to expect from books about POC. It's not a coming of age story or a story of fighting adversity (which aren't bad at all but I love just Reading a book about daily life you know)
3. It's romance, I was gonna be a sucker
honestly the author's pacing is excellent and I sat in my train reading not realising we'd stopped 10mins after reaching the final destination.
February 5, 2023
think your classic YA girl meets boy - set for once not in a boring US university town but in Lagos - there's a dark secret and then it turns almost thriller-esque and you get The Spider King's Daughter. some developments were a bit too obvious and the ending felt a bit rushed but overall not a bad read.
the dual POV works for the book but also makes the end a bit confusing.
the dual POV works for the book but also makes the end a bit confusing.
July 9, 2023
Excellent. When I began this book I thought here we go, star crossed lovers, another romeo and Juliet rework. How wrong I was.
February 4, 2014
The Spider King's Daughter: http://readwithstyle.wordpress.com/20...
The novel starts off with a story as old as the earth – a rich girl falls for a poor boy. Abike Johnson is the beautiful 17-year-old daughter of one of the most powerful and rich men in Lagos, if not in Nigeria as well. She lives in an enormous mansion, has her own set of servants, spends a year’s salary on a single party and employes a fleet of loyal (or not so) followers, admirers and pure suck-ups. Ever since her childhood, when her father makes the driver kill her dog in front of her eyes, Abike has engaged in a game of Frustration with him – daughter and father are in a constant mental battle, attacking each other, challenging each other, torturing each other.
Runner G is on the other side of the social spectrum. Once a rich boy, after the death of his father he is forced to grow up too quickly. At the age of 18 Runner G works as a hawker, earning just enough money to ensure the survival of his mother, who is slowly losing her mind to grief, and of his sister, who is struggling with puberty.
The clash of two realities, over a simple ice-cream, soon develops into a romantic relationship, which is threatened by their different worlds and by their clashing pasts.
Read more: http://readwithstyle.wordpress.com/20...
The novel starts off with a story as old as the earth – a rich girl falls for a poor boy. Abike Johnson is the beautiful 17-year-old daughter of one of the most powerful and rich men in Lagos, if not in Nigeria as well. She lives in an enormous mansion, has her own set of servants, spends a year’s salary on a single party and employes a fleet of loyal (or not so) followers, admirers and pure suck-ups. Ever since her childhood, when her father makes the driver kill her dog in front of her eyes, Abike has engaged in a game of Frustration with him – daughter and father are in a constant mental battle, attacking each other, challenging each other, torturing each other.
Runner G is on the other side of the social spectrum. Once a rich boy, after the death of his father he is forced to grow up too quickly. At the age of 18 Runner G works as a hawker, earning just enough money to ensure the survival of his mother, who is slowly losing her mind to grief, and of his sister, who is struggling with puberty.
The clash of two realities, over a simple ice-cream, soon develops into a romantic relationship, which is threatened by their different worlds and by their clashing pasts.
Read more: http://readwithstyle.wordpress.com/20...
May 23, 2020
Short and interesting read by a very young Nigerian author (she was only 21 when this debut novel was published). Couldn't put it down, especially when reading the second half.
I liked the way Onuzo unfolded the story: every chapter depicting the same scenes from the point of view of the two protagonists. This worked out very well for me. The story itself is interesting: a clash between rich and poor in the extremely unequal society of Nigeria, a beautiful love story, with corruption and violence shedding dark shadows.
Some of the plot is predictable, other parts are a bit unrealistic or could be developed a bit further. I'm dubitative about how the story ends, not sure I like it.
I liked the way Onuzo unfolded the story: every chapter depicting the same scenes from the point of view of the two protagonists. This worked out very well for me. The story itself is interesting: a clash between rich and poor in the extremely unequal society of Nigeria, a beautiful love story, with corruption and violence shedding dark shadows.
Some of the plot is predictable, other parts are a bit unrealistic or could be developed a bit further. I'm dubitative about how the story ends, not sure I like it.
Read
October 25, 2021I’ve had this on my TBR for ages!!!
Themes; revenge, murder, bribery, corruption, family, death, social class, strategy and manipulation.
I liked the different voice narrations in the story.
Abike was an interesting character and she kept me interested in all her cunning ways of thinking.
The Hawker was a determined character and I liked how he took care of his family after his father’s death
Mr. Johnson’s presence was ever ominous and looming darkly.
I wished the story had said more about Abike’s friends and her sisters who were sent away.
I wondered why her half brothers were isolated and how she managed to have the upper hand.
I had a number of questions that were not answered.
The coincidences were a bit far fetched but they did serve the purpose of the story.
The last chapters of the book kept me in anxious wait for what was going to happen.
Okayyyy; yes I’d recommend it.
Themes; revenge, murder, bribery, corruption, family, death, social class, strategy and manipulation.
I liked the different voice narrations in the story.
Abike was an interesting character and she kept me interested in all her cunning ways of thinking.
The Hawker was a determined character and I liked how he took care of his family after his father’s death
Mr. Johnson’s presence was ever ominous and looming darkly.
I wished the story had said more about Abike’s friends and her sisters who were sent away.
I wondered why her half brothers were isolated and how she managed to have the upper hand.
I had a number of questions that were not answered.
The coincidences were a bit far fetched but they did serve the purpose of the story.
The last chapters of the book kept me in anxious wait for what was going to happen.
Okayyyy; yes I’d recommend it.
October 22, 2020
I’m very upset with Chibundu. I was not at all impressed by this book. It started so well. The opening was really good , gripping and page turning and then I don’t know what happened. So many characters were left hanging i.e The half brothers, Mr T and Cynthia. Their stories were vague and not clearly explained.
When reading a book with twist and turns, that leaves certain parts hanging you expect the twists to tie together beautifully in the end but this book failed to deliver a nicely tied bow at the end. When I read the last chapters I wasn’t even sure who was speaking anymore. I feel the author not only lost the plot but his voice and point of view as well.
I’m a big believer in books meeting us at our level of consciousness so I’ll give the book another try at a later stage and hope my views will change but for now I’m really not impressed.
When reading a book with twist and turns, that leaves certain parts hanging you expect the twists to tie together beautifully in the end but this book failed to deliver a nicely tied bow at the end. When I read the last chapters I wasn’t even sure who was speaking anymore. I feel the author not only lost the plot but his voice and point of view as well.
I’m a big believer in books meeting us at our level of consciousness so I’ll give the book another try at a later stage and hope my views will change but for now I’m really not impressed.
August 23, 2021
It is refreshing to read something not deeply rooted into western (anglosaxon) culture, even if the vestiges of cultural imperialism (and colonialism) are present both in the characters and the story telling. The story narrated in this book is not too original, but the writing is fluent and fast to read. I only think the end is letting down the whole book, because it is written in a confused way with narrators and point of views changing so fast that you can lose the thread of what is going on. Pity
April 25, 2018
A sort of Romeo and Juliet tale set in Nigeria sees a beautiful young rich girl befriend a lowly street hawker. This had some interesting characters and was very well written.
February 18, 2021
“Sometimes you want to possess someone so badly, you trick the person into believing you’re something you’re not. You almost trick yourself’
- Chibundu Onuzo, The Spider King’s Daughter
.
.
All i can say that the narration of the same events by 2 main characters worked in this novel. Most of the time it wont work due to the feeling of redundancy but since these are the two perspectives of 2 different person separated by class and status ; one is Abike whose belonged to an elite group, a rich man’s daughter and soon will go to Yale university to further her study and another one is the street hawker (or knowns as Runner G by the other hawkers) that’s entirely opposite of Abike, poor, deprived of education and lived in the shambled neighbourhood. It might started as a star cross lover romance tale due to its young adult novel genre but after few twists and turns of the plot, i am starting to think that whether this can be count as Young Adult Genre. Some of the characters was not developed well like Cynthia and Mr. T and some of the side stories went away without any details hence it got choppy in certain part. However, The story of Aunt Precious, Abike’s father and The Street Hawker’s father real cause of death added into the thrill and suspense of how their story could be taken from the get go. Besides, Abike’s relationship with her father is pure toxic and dysfunctional. They are close to each other but for the wrong reasons. As a debut novel by Chibundu Onuzo, i would say this is a gripping novel. The first half was so good only to be let down by few parts at the second half of the novel. However, i will still recommend this. Read it for the vivid description of Lagos and read it for the right depiction of inequalities that was portrayed by the author through the characters in her novel.
- Chibundu Onuzo, The Spider King’s Daughter
.
.
All i can say that the narration of the same events by 2 main characters worked in this novel. Most of the time it wont work due to the feeling of redundancy but since these are the two perspectives of 2 different person separated by class and status ; one is Abike whose belonged to an elite group, a rich man’s daughter and soon will go to Yale university to further her study and another one is the street hawker (or knowns as Runner G by the other hawkers) that’s entirely opposite of Abike, poor, deprived of education and lived in the shambled neighbourhood. It might started as a star cross lover romance tale due to its young adult novel genre but after few twists and turns of the plot, i am starting to think that whether this can be count as Young Adult Genre. Some of the characters was not developed well like Cynthia and Mr. T and some of the side stories went away without any details hence it got choppy in certain part. However, The story of Aunt Precious, Abike’s father and The Street Hawker’s father real cause of death added into the thrill and suspense of how their story could be taken from the get go. Besides, Abike’s relationship with her father is pure toxic and dysfunctional. They are close to each other but for the wrong reasons. As a debut novel by Chibundu Onuzo, i would say this is a gripping novel. The first half was so good only to be let down by few parts at the second half of the novel. However, i will still recommend this. Read it for the vivid description of Lagos and read it for the right depiction of inequalities that was portrayed by the author through the characters in her novel.
August 13, 2018
#ReadWomenAroundTheWorldChallenge — Nigeria
This book really is an efficient page turner! I went through it so fast cause the story was very addictive and well-rounded.
I’m quite a novice regarding African literature (but I do want to change that!!) and I’ve learned a lot with this book, especially about the Nigerian’s hawkers, those people who sell food, mobile credit cards and other pieces of stuff on the sides of the roads.
I really loved the split narrative, it gave more depth to the novel and allowed me to become attached to both Abike and “her” hawker (I regret his name isn’t mentioned at any time of the story but this choice the difference of social class between them, I guess). The ending was a bit rushed and I’d have liked to know a bit more about what’s happening afterward for our protagonists. If there’s a sequel one day or another, then I’d definitely buy it.
The author was really young when she wrote this book and I can’t really explain why but I kind of felt it in her way of writing—but it was a good thing, it gave a touch of freshness to the novel and suited well with both of the heroes. I’m looking forward to reading more Nigerian’s novels and books from Chibundu Onuzo!
This book really is an efficient page turner! I went through it so fast cause the story was very addictive and well-rounded.
I’m quite a novice regarding African literature (but I do want to change that!!) and I’ve learned a lot with this book, especially about the Nigerian’s hawkers, those people who sell food, mobile credit cards and other pieces of stuff on the sides of the roads.
I really loved the split narrative, it gave more depth to the novel and allowed me to become attached to both Abike and “her” hawker (I regret his name isn’t mentioned at any time of the story but this choice the difference of social class between them, I guess). The ending was a bit rushed and I’d have liked to know a bit more about what’s happening afterward for our protagonists. If there’s a sequel one day or another, then I’d definitely buy it.
The author was really young when she wrote this book and I can’t really explain why but I kind of felt it in her way of writing—but it was a good thing, it gave a touch of freshness to the novel and suited well with both of the heroes. I’m looking forward to reading more Nigerian’s novels and books from Chibundu Onuzo!
June 23, 2025
read it in my 11th year, was aight
October 25, 2020
The ending was a bit rushed, but I liked the book overall. I didn’t realise until about halfway through that we hadn’t been told the hawker’s name and I found it impressive that the author managed to hide it from us until the very end. I feel that this was done to emphasise how “unimportant” the hawker was to society.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2018
What a page-turner! So much so, in fact, that I failed to make any notes, so this is a brief review based on what is left in my memory four years later, refreshed by reading a couple of proper Goodreads reviews. The fact that I remember anything at all should give you a clue to just how strong the descriptions in this novel are.
Set in Lagos in Nigeria, the two main characters are complete opposites. Abike, the teenage daughter of a rich man, is taken by chauffeur to her private school and lives in a well-guarded mansion. She lives the life of a little princess, but as we find a little more about her, we discover that her life is not perfect. Her father may lavish as much money on her as she can spend, but there is an incident with her dog that leaves her - and us - in no doubt that her father is ruthless and cruel. By chance, one day, feeling lonely and bored in the back of the car, she decides to buy ice cream from an attractive but poor teenage boy, Runner G, who is plying his wares next to the busy road. Their lives could not be more different, yet somehow they connect. Now this is where my memory gets fuzzy, but I have a clear image of the initial meeting and of the penultimate encounter. Abike has invited Runner G to her home where she is holding a party for her rich friends. I remember the image of the marbled coolness, pillars and gardens at Abike's father's house. In any case, something goes horribly wrong.
This was Chibundu Onuzo's first novel and attracted quite some attention, published by Faber & Faber, winning the Betty Trask Award for a first novel for non-experimental romantic fiction by a Commonwealth author. Other winners have included Sarah Waters for Tipping the Velvet, Zadie Smith for White Teeth, Alex Garland for The Beach and Madeleine Wickham (i.e. Sophie Kinsella) for The Tennis Party. Illustrious company indeed! It was also shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and the Etisalat Prize for Literature (now the 9mobile Prize for Literature). The last one is an interesting one to watch for readers of world literature: it is a pan-African prize for promising new authors. Chibundu Onuzo has also had a second novel published by Faber & Faber, Welcome to Lagos, one I shall definitely add to my wishlist.
Set in Lagos in Nigeria, the two main characters are complete opposites. Abike, the teenage daughter of a rich man, is taken by chauffeur to her private school and lives in a well-guarded mansion. She lives the life of a little princess, but as we find a little more about her, we discover that her life is not perfect. Her father may lavish as much money on her as she can spend, but there is an incident with her dog that leaves her - and us - in no doubt that her father is ruthless and cruel. By chance, one day, feeling lonely and bored in the back of the car, she decides to buy ice cream from an attractive but poor teenage boy, Runner G, who is plying his wares next to the busy road. Their lives could not be more different, yet somehow they connect. Now this is where my memory gets fuzzy, but I have a clear image of the initial meeting and of the penultimate encounter. Abike has invited Runner G to her home where she is holding a party for her rich friends. I remember the image of the marbled coolness, pillars and gardens at Abike's father's house. In any case, something goes horribly wrong.
This was Chibundu Onuzo's first novel and attracted quite some attention, published by Faber & Faber, winning the Betty Trask Award for a first novel for non-experimental romantic fiction by a Commonwealth author. Other winners have included Sarah Waters for Tipping the Velvet, Zadie Smith for White Teeth, Alex Garland for The Beach and Madeleine Wickham (i.e. Sophie Kinsella) for The Tennis Party. Illustrious company indeed! It was also shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and the Etisalat Prize for Literature (now the 9mobile Prize for Literature). The last one is an interesting one to watch for readers of world literature: it is a pan-African prize for promising new authors. Chibundu Onuzo has also had a second novel published by Faber & Faber, Welcome to Lagos, one I shall definitely add to my wishlist.
December 16, 2014
Abike is seventeen, the pampered daughter of an ostentatiously wealthy businessman. Hers is a world of parties and privilege and power -- having power, seeking power, using power. Abusing power.
Abike is her father's daughter.
Then there's the hawker. Runner G. (Diogu m?*) He was wealthy, once. He had ambitions, once. But life happened, and things got harder, and now, at eighteen, he's reduced to selling ice cream on the street to keep his younger sister in school and his fractured family in their home.
When their paths intersect by chance...that's when things get complicated.
'The hawker' -- and I call him that with some degree of irony, because I'm not sure whether or not we ever learn his name and because he comes to suspect, at some point, that Abike thinks of him not by his name but as the hawker (or, in fact, my hawker) -- is, by and large, a likable character. Life has pushed him down, but he's determined to get by and to make sure his sister does better than get by. He's adapted. Abike, though...Abike is not so sympathetic. She's calculating. Ambitious. Haughty. She has yet to meet her match.
Onuzo shows many scenes twice: first through one character's eyes, then through the other's. It's interesting -- overused, perhaps, but the scene twists in different ways depending upon who sees it. Often one character picks up on something that the other thought they'd hidden, or each has a different interpretation of an action or a line of dialogue. Makes you question each scene as you read it.
This is a love story, sort of, but it's also...not. I would say that Abike gets in the way -- her ambition and her snobbery and the way she toys with every single person she interacts with -- but it's more than that. It's a matter of class, too; both characters are well aware that theirs is not a sustainable relationship. Even without those class differences, though, they're just...very different people. Oh, they both have some degree of calculation, and they both walk a fine line, although neither might realise just how fine the other's is. They are both adept at games. But...their connection is largely one of shouldn't, I think; they're drawn in by the knowledge that their relationship is not within the expected.
Some other, unconnected thoughts: I'm disappointed by the implication that Aunty Precious shouldn't be tarnished by her past only because she was tricked; it ignores larger questions of desperation/need/lack of opportunity/etc. I find it fascinating how 'the hawker' uses those closest to his target to reach that target, heedless of what that might mean emotionally for them. Love that it isn't happily-ever-after-tied-up-with-a-bow. I'll be interested to see what Onuzo does next.
*Not sure whether this is a name or an endearment; Google isn't helping.
Abike is her father's daughter.
Then there's the hawker. Runner G. (Diogu m?*) He was wealthy, once. He had ambitions, once. But life happened, and things got harder, and now, at eighteen, he's reduced to selling ice cream on the street to keep his younger sister in school and his fractured family in their home.
When their paths intersect by chance...that's when things get complicated.
'The hawker' -- and I call him that with some degree of irony, because I'm not sure whether or not we ever learn his name and because he comes to suspect, at some point, that Abike thinks of him not by his name but as the hawker (or, in fact, my hawker) -- is, by and large, a likable character. Life has pushed him down, but he's determined to get by and to make sure his sister does better than get by. He's adapted. Abike, though...Abike is not so sympathetic. She's calculating. Ambitious. Haughty. She has yet to meet her match.
Onuzo shows many scenes twice: first through one character's eyes, then through the other's. It's interesting -- overused, perhaps, but the scene twists in different ways depending upon who sees it. Often one character picks up on something that the other thought they'd hidden, or each has a different interpretation of an action or a line of dialogue. Makes you question each scene as you read it.
This is a love story, sort of, but it's also...not. I would say that Abike gets in the way -- her ambition and her snobbery and the way she toys with every single person she interacts with -- but it's more than that. It's a matter of class, too; both characters are well aware that theirs is not a sustainable relationship. Even without those class differences, though, they're just...very different people. Oh, they both have some degree of calculation, and they both walk a fine line, although neither might realise just how fine the other's is. They are both adept at games. But...their connection is largely one of shouldn't, I think; they're drawn in by the knowledge that their relationship is not within the expected.
Some other, unconnected thoughts: I'm disappointed by the implication that Aunty Precious shouldn't be tarnished by her past only because she was tricked; it ignores larger questions of desperation/need/lack of opportunity/etc. I find it fascinating how 'the hawker' uses those closest to his target to reach that target, heedless of what that might mean emotionally for them. Love that it isn't happily-ever-after-tied-up-with-a-bow. I'll be interested to see what Onuzo does next.
*Not sure whether this is a name or an endearment; Google isn't helping.
April 17, 2016
I was intrigued by the cover and location of Chidbundu Onuzo's The Spider King's Daughter and was immediately caught up in the story as I started to read.
'Runner G' is a young 18 year old hawker in Lagos, Nigeria. He knows how to survive the streets, makes sure his younger sister goes to school and looks after his depressed mother. It wasn't always that way. Once he went to a good school and had dreams of going to university but then his father had died horrifically in a car accident leaving his family destitute.
One day a rich girl, Abike Johnson, heir to her fathers' vast future, encounters the hawker and an unlikely romance develops between them. Until 'Runner G' learns some explosive secrets and suddenly everything is in question, motives are doubted and choices made. Is Abike as cruel and manipulative as her father, will her hawker risk all he has achieved running after the wrong thing?
The story is told alternating in first person from Abike's pov to that of the hawker, often showing the same set of events from the two different points of view. Throughout Abike refers to Runner G as 'my hawker' & on the street his nickname is 'Runner G' so we rarely if ever hear his name (though his father's is Emmanuel Toyosi Sodipo).
I found the story kept me engaged and guessing right to the end. I liked the crisp style, and sympathized with both Abike and Runner G’s predicaments. I wasn't expecting a fairy tale ending but I found it a little flat as it left me wondering what the story was about. Still, it was an interesting insight in modern Nigerian culture and society.
'Runner G' is a young 18 year old hawker in Lagos, Nigeria. He knows how to survive the streets, makes sure his younger sister goes to school and looks after his depressed mother. It wasn't always that way. Once he went to a good school and had dreams of going to university but then his father had died horrifically in a car accident leaving his family destitute.
One day a rich girl, Abike Johnson, heir to her fathers' vast future, encounters the hawker and an unlikely romance develops between them. Until 'Runner G' learns some explosive secrets and suddenly everything is in question, motives are doubted and choices made. Is Abike as cruel and manipulative as her father, will her hawker risk all he has achieved running after the wrong thing?
The story is told alternating in first person from Abike's pov to that of the hawker, often showing the same set of events from the two different points of view. Throughout Abike refers to Runner G as 'my hawker' & on the street his nickname is 'Runner G' so we rarely if ever hear his name (though his father's is Emmanuel Toyosi Sodipo).
I found the story kept me engaged and guessing right to the end. I liked the crisp style, and sympathized with both Abike and Runner G’s predicaments. I wasn't expecting a fairy tale ending but I found it a little flat as it left me wondering what the story was about. Still, it was an interesting insight in modern Nigerian culture and society.
November 26, 2012
Not easy to get in and slow to develop. I spent 150 pages wondering if this was just a Romeo and Juliet tale, or a fairy tale where the poor man is really a prince. This novel transcends such easy characterizations, yet somehow does not congeal into something memorable. (The day after I finished, I could remember what happened with her, but not what happened to him.)
There was a game called Frustration which also never managed to penetrate my thick skull. Upon re-reading, I discover that Frustration is the first word, and the "game" of Frustration opens the book. But I never got a sense of what this games was, or what the rules were or what objectives were supposed to be.
Mostly, the simplicity of the narrative evoked a YA book; however, by not going for easy answers or a fairy tale ending the novel becomes more than the YA genre tends to be. Having re-read the ending, I am left with the image of the young man washing his hand -- which one supposes, will never come clean.
There was a game called Frustration which also never managed to penetrate my thick skull. Upon re-reading, I discover that Frustration is the first word, and the "game" of Frustration opens the book. But I never got a sense of what this games was, or what the rules were or what objectives were supposed to be.
Mostly, the simplicity of the narrative evoked a YA book; however, by not going for easy answers or a fairy tale ending the novel becomes more than the YA genre tends to be. Having re-read the ending, I am left with the image of the young man washing his hand -- which one supposes, will never come clean.
October 21, 2013
The Spider King's Daughter (Faber and Faber, 2012; 288) by Chibundu Onuzo is a tale that dissects and spreads open the economic duality - that divide that puts people at the extreme ends of the economic continuum - of most nations, especially those in Africa. It breathes life into an article - Duality: Dickens in Lagos, and Asimov too - I wrote in response to a one-sided argument provided at one of these mentally-skewed journalists.
The Spider King's Daughter is about a happenstance meeting between a girl - Abike - from a wealthy family and a street-hawker, Runner-G and the consequences that came with it. And as you can rightly guess, the chance meeting provided the necessary spark that glowed into love or unlove, as the reader will find out. Yes, these things do happen; and yes, they have been written about since the seventeenth century.
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...
The Spider King's Daughter is about a happenstance meeting between a girl - Abike - from a wealthy family and a street-hawker, Runner-G and the consequences that came with it. And as you can rightly guess, the chance meeting provided the necessary spark that glowed into love or unlove, as the reader will find out. Yes, these things do happen; and yes, they have been written about since the seventeenth century.
continue here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2013...
June 13, 2013
This book started our relatively well for me. I like the street-peddler meets rich girl, thing, and at the start it seemed like the makings of a really good book. But then.......no. I felt like random things started happening, ESPECIALLY at the end. I mean, him killing her father didn't seem very well thought out at all, and then choking her? And then her beating him half to death with her shoe? I mean, where did it all come from? Maybe if these ideas had had more chapters to develop we could have eased into it all but honestly the party made no sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews