Patience Is a Subtle Thief - by Abi Ishola-Ayodeji (Paperback)

About the Book

"For as long as she can remember, Patience Adewale has been waiting for confirmation that she is loved, that there is a place where she truly belongs. The eldest daughter of Chief Kolade Adewale, Patience lives a sheltered life in Ibadan, but within the walls of their mansion, her distant father and stepmother Modupe offer no comfort. Her only ally in the house is her younger sister, Margaret, but Margaret can only do so much. More than anything, Patience wants to know why her father and uncle kicked her mother out of their compound so many years ago--and whether her mother is even alive. Answers begin to trickle in when she moves to Lagos for university, where, during her desperate search for her mother, she reconnects with her cousin Kash. Kash and his friend Emeka are petty thieves faced with the opportunity to make some real money. However, they need help. Kash and Emeka determine that Patience and Emeka's straight- arrow brother, Chike, would be the perfect partners in their scheme... The plan is to quit after one last job, but will everything go awry? Patience won't have to wait any longer, but she must pay a price that may be too steep even for her. Suspenseful and evoking the subtleties of Nigerian life in a new way, Patience Is a Subtle Thief is an immersive debut from a fresh new voice in fiction"--

Book Synopsis

Hope and circumstance define a young woman's life in this heartbreaking tale of lost innocence, set in politically volatile 1990s Nigeria, from an exciting and fresh voice in global literature.

For as long as she can remember, Patience Adewale, the eldest daughter of Chief Kolade Adewale, has been waiting for confirmation that she is loved, that there is a place where she truly belongs. Patience lives a sheltered life within the secure walls of the family's mansion in Ibadan, but finds no comfort from her distant father and stepmother Modupe. Her only ally is her younger sister, yet even Margaret's love and support cannot overcome Patience's insecurity and uncertainty.

More than anything, Patience wants to know why her father and uncle banished her mother from their compound years ago--and whether her mother is even alive. Determined to discover the truth, Patience embarks on a desperate search to find her mother. Answers begin to surface when she moves to Lagos for university and unexpectedly reconnects with her cousin Kash.

Kash and his friend Emeka are petty thieves with an opportunity to make a big score. To pull it off they need help--and enlist Patience and Emeka's straight-arrow brother, Chike, to become partners in their scheme. The thieves' plan is to quit after this job. But unforeseen events lead to unexpected consequences--and demand a price from Patience that may be too steep to pay.

Suspenseful and evoking the subtleties of Nigerian life in an fresh and unexpected way, Patience Is a Subtle Thief is a heart-wrenching story of one young woman's precarious journey to adulthood, and the risks and sacrifices it takes to follow her heart.

Review Quotes

"Ishola-Ayodeji is deft, shrewd, sometimes witty, and always observant about the social, economic, and political obstacles to Nigerians wishing only to live honorably and decently. A poignant, revealing, and rueful tale of how much the political can affect the personal." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Expertly telling the story of an unloved girl on a hunt for answers and her own path, Patience Is a Subtle Thief is both heartbreaking and heartfelt." -- Rachel Strolle, BuzzFeed

"Abi Ishola-Ayodeji, award-winning journalist and television producer, can add accomplished author to her accolades with publication of this intense debut novel that explores the deleterious effects of secrets kept and the wrenching choices one woman makes in her search for identity and connection." -- Library Journal

"A thrilling story of family ties, secrets, and sticking up for the people you love. Now, can someone just turn it into a TV show, please?" -- theSkimm