Foreign Gods, Inc.

by Okey Ndibe Narrated by Dominic Hoffman

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times - Janet Maslin

…razor-sharp…astute and gripping…Mr. Ndibe invests his story with enough dark comedy to make [the Nigerian war idol] Ngene an odoriferous presence in his own right, and certainly not the kind of polite exotic rarity that art collectors are used to. At one point, the novel compares him to the demonic Baal, and Ngene shows many signs of wishing to live up to that reputation. In Mr. Ndibe's agile hands, he's both a source of satire and an embodiment of pure terror.

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/21/2013
In Nigerian-born Ndibe's (Arrows of Rain) new novel, Ikechukwu "Ike" Uzondu is a hapless N.Y.C. taxi driver stymied at every turn—his rent is past due, his Amherst education means less to potential employers than his accent, his green-card marriage has more than its share of baggage, and his fares always mispronounce his name (that's "Ee-kay"). Desperate to keep his head above water in a country that only accepts him as a caricature, Ike decides to travel back to his village in Nigeria, steal his village's ancestral war idol, and sell it to an unscrupulous dealer in tribal antiques. Many novels would merely use this premise as an excuse for madcap postcolonial allegory, but the theft turns out to be the setup for the novel's centerpiece: Ike's return to the village of Utonki, where he finds his family torn between a maniacal Christian pastor and the traditional worshippers of Ngene, the god Ike has resolved to pillage. 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. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Foreign Gods, Inc.

A NPR Great Read of 2014
A Philadelphia Inquirer Best Book of 2014
The Root 15 Best Novels by a Black Author of 2014
A Cleveland Plain Dealer Best Books of 2014 Selection

"Razor-sharp . . . Mr. Ndibe invests his story with enough dark comedy to make Ngene an odoriferous presence in his own right, and certainly not the kind of polite exotic rarity that art collectors are used to . . . In Mr. Ndibe’s agile hands, he’s both a source of satire and an embodiment of pure terror."
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"A story of sweeping cultural insight and absurd comedy . . . rendered with a stoic power that moves the reader more than histrionics possibly could."
—The Washington Post

"Unforgettable . . . Ndibe seems to have a boundless ear fo' the lyrical turns of phrase of the working people of rural Nigeria . . . The wooden deity "has character, an audacious personality,' says one non-African who sees it. So does Ndibe's novel, a page-turning allegory about the globalized world." 
—Los Angeles Times

"A hard look at the American dream, which seems to be receding further and further into the distance these days."
—GQ Magazine

"This is precisely the kind of novel that makes one anti-social. If you find it today, sprint home, throw away your cellphone, bolt the front door and don’t worry too much if you are not up in time for church tomorrow."
—Daily Nation (Kenya)

“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

“An entertaining, witty adventure . . . Foreign Gods, Inc. is an intelligent, satirical novel that comes highly anticipated and does not disappoint.”
—The Root

"A morality tale for our time . . . With subtle hints at moral turmoil, a gift for dark humour, and characterisation that is perceptive and neatly observed, Ndibe manages to persuade the reader to root for Ike, even as his haphazard plans begin to unravel."
—The Guardian (UK)

"Brims with warmth, vibrancy and color . . . Just about perfect."
—Paste Magazine

"Ndibe is a writer’s writer, and this book is a lesson in the art of the novel."
—New York Journal of Books

"Ndibe writes of cultural clash in a moving way that makes Ike’s march toward disaster inexorable and ineffably sad."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

"If you’ve ever sat in the back of a cab silently—or not so silently—wondering where your cab driver is from and what his life is like (and really hasn’t everyone?) then you will be captivated by Nigerian writer Okey Ndibe’s new novel."
—Metro New York

"Wonderfully colorful . . . There's more than a touch of Poe, or perhaps The Twilight Zone, in the surreal conclusion of this story."
—The Hartford Courant

Booklist

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.”

winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Wole Soyinka

We clearly have a fresh talent at work here. It is quite a while since I sensed creative promise on this level.”

New York Times

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.”

Chicago Tribune (audio review)

Hoffman is masterful with dialogue…his character voices are full and as nuanced as author Okey Ndibe created them to be.”

author of On Black Sisters Street Chika Unigwe

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.”

BookPage

Race, religion, greed, xenophobia—author Okey Ndibe tackles these sensitive topics and more in the heist novel to end all heist novels.”

author of Wizard of the Crow Ngugi wa Thiong’o

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.”

Shelf Awareness

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.”

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile

Keeping up with the American dream is proving to be too much for Ike, a Nigerian cab driver in New York City. His life after American college, in particular, his scramble to elide gambling debt, are narrated without embellishment by Dominic Hoffman. The story’s intriguing events, along with Hoffman’s vivid character portrayals, are fully engaging. Hoffman’s understated delivery plays up the irony of life in New York for a man whose culture is being appropriated while he can barely make ends meet. The irony and capriciousness of modern life are shown when Ike returns to Nigeria to steal an idol to sell to wealthy New Yorkers. M.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2013-11-03
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. Ikechukwu Uzondu (or Ike for short) has high expectations. Although he's a cum laude graduate of Amherst with a degree in economics, he's working as a New York cabbie because his accent won't get him in the door at a Wall Street firm. Recently divorced and hounded by creditors, Ike talks to Mark Gruels, owner of a gallery called Foreign Gods, Inc. that traffics in Asian and African statues of gods--and well-heeled collectors are willing to part with hundreds of thousands of dollars for the best specimens. Ike borrows some money from a friend to purchase a ticket back to his home village of Utonki and carefully lays the groundwork for stealing a statue of Ngene, the village war god still worshiped by Ike's uncle Osuakwu. Meanwhile, Ike's mother has come under the spell of Pastor Uka, a stern Protestant who sees Ngene worship as inspired by Satan. Not so coincidentally, the pastor believes that any person returning to the village from America must be rich, so he's looking to Ike to "sow" a considerable sum for a new chapel. Caught between his overly pious and gullible mother on one hand and his "heathen" uncle on the other, Ike eventually steals the statue but still must smuggle it through Nigerian customs, a task made somewhat easier by corrupt customs officials willing to look the other way, but when he returns to New York, he finds the market for African deities has gone colder than he had expected. Ndibe writes of culture clash in a moving way that makes Ike's march toward disaster inexorable and ineffably sad.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169907827
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	01/14/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
 
Ikechukwu Uzondu, “Ike for short,” parked his Lincoln Continental cab at a garage that charged twelve dollars per hour. Before shutting off the engine, he looked at the car’s electronic clock. Nine forty-seven a.m.; it meant the gallery would have been open for a little less than an hour. Perfect, Ike thought, for he wished to be done transacting his business before the place started buzzing.
     He walked a block and a half to 19 Vance Street. Had a small animal been wedged in his throat, his heart could not have pounded more violently.
     The eave over the door bore a sign etched in black over a bluish background: foreign gods, incorporated. It was written in tiny, stylized lettering, as if intended to create a tactful anonymity. Few would stumble upon a store like this; it would be found, it seemed, only by habitués and devotees.
     Across the street was a bar. Ike contemplated a quick drink or two to calm his nerves. How odd to flack for a war god while jittery.
Yet, to go in smelling of alcohol might also be a costly mistake.
      The gallery door clicked, and a tanned woman walked out. A squat carved statue was clutched close to her breast, held in asuckling posture. At the curb, a gleaming black BMW pulled up. She opened the rear door and leaned in, arched backside revealing the outline of her underwear. Her black high-heeled shoes were riveted with nodes of diamond. She strapped the deity in place with the seat belt and then straightened. The car’s front door was opened from inside. She lowered herself in, and the car sped off.
      Ike pulled at the gallery door—surprisingly light. A wide, sprawling space unfurled itself: gray marble floors, turquoise walls, and glass-paneled showcases. A multitude of soft, recessed lights accentuated the gallery’s dim, spectral atmosphere. In the middle of the room, slightly to the left of the door, a spiral staircase with two grille-work banisters rose to an upper floor. Ike knew from the New York magazine piece that people went upstairs only by invitation. And that those invitations went only to a small circle of long-term collectors or their designated dealers.
      There was an otherworldly chill in the air. There was also a smell about the place, unsettling and hard to name. Ike froze at the edge of the run of stairs that led down to the floor of the gallery. From the elevation, he commanded a view. The space was busy but not cluttered. Clusters of short, squat showcases were interspersed with long and deep ones. Here and there, some customers peered into the glass cases or pored over catalogs.
      In a matter of two, three weeks, his people’s ancient deity, Ngene, would be here, too. And it would enjoy pride of place, not on this floor, with the all-comers and nondescripts, but upstairs, in the section called Heaven. Ngene was a majestic god with a rich legend and history. How many other gods could boast of dooming Walter Stanton, that famed English missionary whose name, in the syllable-stretching mouths of the people of Utonki, became Su-tantee-ny?
      The thought gave him a gutsy boost. He trotted down the steps to the floor of the gallery. Walking unhurriedly, he cast deliberate glances about him, so that an observer might mistake him for a veteran player in the rare sport where gods and sacred curios were bought and sold. He paused near the spiral staircase. A sign warned please do not ascend unless escorted. He walked on to a chesthigh showcase. A hefty wooden head stared at him from atop a rectangular stump. The face was pitched forward, like a tortoise’s head poking out of a shell. On closer inspection, Ike saw that the carved head was deformed by a chipped, flattened nose and large, bulgy eyes. Inside the case, four fluorescent puck lights washed the statue with crisscross patterns of luminescence and shadows. A fork-tongued serpent coiled itself round the statue’s neck.
     There was an electronic key code for the showcase’s twin-winged door, and several perforations in the glass, small and circular, as if designed to let in and let out just enough air to keep the glum, rigid statue from suffocating. A strip tag glued to the glass cage identified the deity as C1760. Ike picked up a glossy catalog and thumbed to the C section. Each page was columned, with sections marked “inventory code,” “name,” “brief history,” and “price.” He ran his finger down the line until he saw the tag number. Then he drew his finger across to the price column: $29,655.
     He flipped the pages to the catalog’s last section, marked “Heavenly Inventory.” The lowest price in the section was $171,455; the highest $1.13 million. He studied the image of one of the deities in that section. Carved from soot-black wood, it had two fused figures, one female, and the other male. The figures backed each other. The female was big breasted and boasted a swollen belly. The male figure held a hoe in one hand, a gun in the other, its grotesque phallus extending all the way to its feet. They shared the same androgynous head, turned neither left nor right but forward. A pair of deep-set eyes seemed to return Ike’s stare. It was listed for $325,630. Ike read the short italicized description: A god of the crossroads, originally from Papua New Guinea.
     “Wait until they see Ngene,” he said under his breath, a flush of excitement washing over him. Surely, a legendary god of war would command a higher price than a two-faced crossroads idler.
     At the thought, the catalog slipped from his hands and thudded on the floor. He hastily picked it up, glancing all around. Perhaps the gallery’s surveillance camera was beamed on him, trailing his every movement?
     He moved to another showcase. He squatted, bit his lip, and peered intensely at the encased quarry, nodding like a connoisseur. From nowhere some foul whiff brushed his nose and he recoiled.
     He heard a woman’s low voice and stood to look, but two showcases blocked his view.
     “Have I ever—ever—been too busy for you?” a man answered in a stentorian voice.
     A pair of sequined magenta shoes descended the staircase. These yielded toned calves, then sturdy thighs that disappeared beneath a tight purplish skirt, and then the tanned, tight upper body of a blonde. Then, behind her, the man appeared.
     Ike recognized Mark Gruels, the owner of the gallery. He did not panic, his poise a remarkable feat, considering what was at stake. Neither the woman nor Gruels looked Ike’s way. Her right arm was around his waist, his left arm draped over her shoulder. They circled the staircase and walked down another aisle, toward the far wall.
     Ike watched them but pretended to be riveted by the catalog. Gruels was a head taller than the woman, even though she looked at least five nine. Cerise pearls adorned the woman’s neck. Gruels’s groomed appearance seemed to leave some room for cultivated ruggedness. He had a full head of black hair, garnished with dots of gray. He wore a dark green down vest over a bleached green shirt, one sleeve rolled up to the elbow, the other left unrolled.
     Gruels and the woman spoke inaudibly for a moment, entranced by the same object: a mammoth, snout-faced statue in a showcase.
     “So?” the woman finally asked.
     Gruels swayed side to side, as if in deep thought. Then he shook his head doubtfully.
     “Why not?” she asked.
     “Not that one,” he said in the tone of a man accustomed to confident judgments. His voice was deep, even a little gravelly. “You’re looking at a goddess. She’s definitely not a good fit. Not for you. You do better with strong male gods. You’d find her—shall I say—a bit too feisty. Too cranky.”
     “She’s quite the cutie,” the woman said, leaning into Gruels.
     “No question, but she’s not your type. Trust me.” He pressed her closer to him. “You don’t want a goddess that clashes with your personality. Plus, it doesn’t jibe with your other acquisitions.”
     “It’s actually not for me. I’d like something amazing for my brother. And this should do.”
     “Birthday?” Gruels asked.
     “No, he’s never been big on birthdays. He’s just having a tough time rebounding.”
     “Has he been sick?”
     “No, divorced.”
     “Josh?” Gruels sounded incredulous.
     “Yes, darling—you know I have only the one brother.”
     “He and Heather parted ways?”
     “Oh, Mark, have you been living in a cave again?”
     “No, really,” said Gruels. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
     She turned sideways and rested her body against his. Gruels rubbed and kneaded her shoulders. Ike felt a tug in the crotch.
     She related how Heather had run away with another woman, leaving Josh crushed.
     Finally, Gruels said, “A man dumped by his wife for another woman deserves some spectacular gift. You can’t get better than this.” He glanced up at the deity. “This, here, is a Mayan marvel.”
     “And what are you asking for her?”
     “Twenty thousand—eighteen thousand for you.”
     “Sir, can I help you with anything?”
     Ike turned, startled. A petite woman stood behind him.
     “How may I help you?” she asked again.
     Her nose was pierced midridge with a toothpick-sized coppery crossbar. Her head was shaved close to the scalp. A whorl of tattoos ran all over her arms and neck.
     “I came to see—”
     “Mark?” she interjected.
     “Mr. Gruels,” he said. Despite all his years in America, he’d never become comfortable with the idea of calling strangers by their given name. “Yes.”
     Her eyes lit up. “Did you call two days ago?”
     “Three. Yes.”
     “I recognized that accent!” Ike stiffened at the word “accent,” and his eyes blazed. Oblivious, she continued: “Listen, Mark’s busy with a customer right now. You can wait for him right here. Unless it’s something I can help you with. My name is Stacy.”
     “I’ll wait,” he said, still vexed by that reference to his accent. He turned and nearly bumped into Gruels. The gallery owner held the blond with one hand, the Mayan deity with the other.
     “Mark, this gentleman wants to see you,” Stacy announced.
     Letting go of the blond’s hand, Gruels seemed to whirl round to Ike.
     “You want to see me?”
     Not in everybody’s presence, Ike thought. “I’ll wait until you finish. With her.” He pointed at the blond.
     Gruels smirked and then retook the woman’s hand. “Until I finish with her? What makes you think I want to ever be finished with her?”
     Gruels laughed, and the woman followed suit, her head thrown back. Gruels whispered into her ear, released her, and circled back to Ike. “Yes, I’m listening,” he said.
     Ike’s tongue felt coated. Why didn’t Gruels invite him to an office or some secluded corner?
     Gruels folded his arms. “Yes?”
     “I have—”
     “Yes, you have what?”
     “A business proposal.”
     Gruels slapped both hands, bemused. “You want to invest in my business? Great! How much are we talking here?”
     Ike gave a short, awkward chuckle.
     “It’s a busy morning for me,” Gruels said. “Business proposal. You’ve got to spell out what you mean. And you’ve got to do it quick.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “I have a meeting to run to—in, like, now! So?”
     “I have a god I can bring,” he said.
     “You have a god?”
     “Yes.”
     “Great. Let’s see it.”
     “I’m traveling to bring it.”
     “You don’t have it?”
     “Not yet.”
     “So what’s the point of this discussion?”
     Ike swallowed hard. “I want you to buy it.”
     “Buy what? I can’t buy what doesn’t exist.” Gruels glanced at Stacy, who tightened her lips and shrugged.
     “It exists,” Ike cried, his voice close to combative. Then, checking himself, he added, “It’s a powerful deity, too.”
     Gruels regarded him with intense eyes. “I don’t buy stories; I buy things. You see what I mean?” He glanced at his watch again and turned sharply sideways, as if to walk away. Instead, he tarried and addressed Ike. “Bottom line, you have nothing to show me.”
     “In less than three weeks, I will have it.”
     “So why are we holding this discussion now? Why don’t we have it in three weeks—or whenever you’ve got something to show?”
     Ike said, “It’s a god of war.”
     “It could be a god of shit for all I care.” Gruels paused, his eyes danced, taking in Ike with curious interest. He put a left hand on Ike’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to insult you. That’s not what I’m about.”
     “It used to lead our people to war,” Ike explained, determined to capitalize on the indirect apology.
     “That’s great,” Gruels said, his tone flavored anew with sarcasm. “Great for your people.”
     Thoughts tossed about in Ike’s mind. He foraged for the magic words that would kindle the other’s interest. He saw Gruels’s lips quiver, about to speak. Anxiety overcame him.
     “Trust me,” he said. “It’s a very, very ancient deity. A very powerful god.”
     “So you say. Great! Nobody ever sold me a shitty god. And nobody ever bought one from me. Every god I ever bought or sold had the greatest mojo in all of time. So, what’s new?” He took another look at his watch.
     “How much are you willing to pay for it?"
     Gruels scratched his forehead and then gazed at Ike, silent.
     “Trust me,” Ike said, unable to bear the silent exchange of stares.
     Gruels spread his arms in a sweeping gesture. “This store has great inventory. Look around, see for yourself.” He paused, as if to permit Ike to take a look. “You don’t seriously expect me to discuss the buying of—nothing! It doesn’t even make sense.”
     “I told you about the—”
     “Yes, you’ve told me a lot. You’ve said how powerful this god is. You’ve said it’s ancient. You’ve said blah blah blah.” He spread his arms again. “Well, guess what? My entire inventory is made up of powerful, ancient deities. I ask again, what’s new?”
     “In olden days, this god—it’s called Ngene—led our warriors to wars. And they never lost one.”
     “Ngina—that’s the name?”
     “Ngene.” Ike spelled the word.
     “Are there written accounts of these wars?”
     “My uncle told me.”
     “You expect me to do a deal—based on something your uncle told you?”
     “He’s the deity’s chief priest. He knows everything about Ngene.”
     Gruels crinkled his brow. “Did you say your uncle is the chief priest of this same god?”
     Ike nodded and looked away.
     “So, is he offering to sell this—what’s its name again?”
     “Ngene.”
     “Is the priest offering to sell this god?”
     Ike shook his head.
     “So, you’re not acting as your uncle’s agent?”
     “No.”
     “Let me ask a different way. Do you have your uncle’s permission to do this deal?”
     “No.”
     Gruels gave a mirthless smile. “Listen, don’t think I’m judging you; that’s not my thing. I’d love to do business with you—and I mean it. But you’ve got to show me something. Not just stories your uncle told you, something. We have a process of authentication, and it’s fairly rigorous. The gallery’s policy is to insist on things that are written down.”
     “I know,” Ike said. “There’s a story about the first British missionary who arrived in Utonki.”
     “What about him?”
     “He threatened to destroy Ngene but drowned in a river owned by the god.”
     “Your uncle told you this?”
     “Everybody in Utonki knows the story. But it’s also in a booklet.”
     Gruels nodded eagerly. “Great! Now, if that booklet exists, bring it along with the inventory.”
     “Mark, remember your meeting at Elbow Room,” Stacy shouted.
     “Thanks, Stace,” Gruels said. Then to Ike: “We’ll see you when you’ve got the stuff in your hands.”
     Ike raised a hand frantically.
     “Yes?” Gruels said.
     “We haven’t discussed the price. Could you tell me the range?”
     Gruels’s brow became furrowed in exasperation. “No, really,” he said, slowly. “I discuss prices only when the inventory is in front of me. That’s policy here at foreign gods. But you can be sure of one thing—no dealer tops our offer. You said you’ve got great merchandise. You get me a great item, you can count on getting a great offer. That’s a promise.”
     He extended a hand. More out of confusion than design, Ike hesitated for a moment and then took it. Again Gruels placed his left hand on Ike’s shoulder.
     “Don’t think I doubt that this is a great god. But this gallery is huge on authentication. Remember that. Nothing beats seeing things on paper—photographs, books, documents. If there are mentions in one or two scholarly texts, that’s terrific.”
     Ike’s heart chugged as he headed for the exit. Once outside, he drew deep drafts of air until he felt steadied. And then, in quick, springy strides, he hastened back to the garage.

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