Foreign Gods, Inc.

Author Okey Ndibe
Narrator Dominic Hoffman
Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Run Time 11 hours and 25 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Fiction: general and literary.

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What to expect

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, Inc. is a brilliant work of fiction that illuminates our globally interconnected world like no other.

Critics Review

“We clearly have a fresh talent at work here. It
is quite a while since I sensed creative promise on this level.”
Wole Soyinka, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
“Richly evocative…Ndibe invests his story with enough dark
comedy to make Ngene an odoriferous presence in his own right…In Mr. Ndibe’s
agile hands, he’s both a source of satire and an embodiment of pure terror.”
New York Times
“Hoffman is masterful with dialogue…his character
voices are full and as nuanced as author Okey Ndibe created them to be.”
Chicago Tribune (audio review)
“Neither fable nor melodrama, nor what’s crudely niched as ‘world literature,’ the novel traces the story of a painstakingly-crafted protagonist and his community caught up in the inescapable allure of success defined in Western terms.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A Nigerian living in America has a moneymaking scheme—to return to his native village, steal the statue of a war god and sell it to a tony New York dealer who deals in such deities…Ndibe writes of culture clash in a moving way that makes Ike’s march toward disaster inexorable and ineffably sad.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Novelist Ndibe unfurls his rich narrative gradually, allowing room for plenty of character interaction while painting a revealing portrait of contemporary Nigeria. With piercing psychological insight and biting commentary on the challenges faced by immigrants, the novel is as full-blooded and fierce as the war deity who drives the story.”
Booklist
“Race, religion, greed, xenophobia—author Okey Ndibe tackles these
sensitive topics and more in the heist novel to end all heist novels.”
BookPage
“Foreign Gods, Inc. reads like the
narrative of a taxi-driving Faust in modern Nigeria and America. With Molière-like
humorous debunking of religious hypocrisy and rancid materialism, it teems with
characters and situations that make you laugh in order not to cry.”
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of Wizard of the Crow
“Foreign Gods, Inc. is a blistering
exploration of the contemporary African immigrant experience in America. Ndibe
tackles tough questions: from the shifting notions of home and identity to the
nature of greed. In prose which is fresh and often funny, Ndibe draws the
reader into the heartbreaking story of Ike Uzondu’s attempt to survive in a
world which seems determined to crush him.”
Chika Unigwe, author of On Black Sisters Street
“Ndibe writes with a folksy inclusiveness, inviting
characters in to stay a little longer than they’re needed, allowing for
colorful banter among villagers who have an altogether different sense of time…Into
this richly stocked brew of characters, Ndibe skilfully introduces some genuine
suspense in the final stretch, guiding readers through the nail-biting tension
of getting through customs Nigerian-style. As an author with a foot in Nigeria
and the US, he expertly brings both worlds to life before they collide.”
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