Good for Nothing Girl

This heartbreaking novel from Nigerian American writer Atta (The Bad Immigrant) follows a 17-year-old girl whose dreams are dashed when she becomes an unwitting victim in a human trafficking scheme. Gift plans to attend the local college in her small Nigerian city, though she’s uncertain what she’ll study. While her father is away working as a driver in the capital, her stepmother, known as Madam, presents Gift with a golden opportunity: in exchange for college tuition plus salary, she’ll work as an au pair in the U.S. for Madam’s sister, Victoria, a pediatrician pregnant with her first child, and her husband, Jonathan, an ER doctor. Without hesitation, Gift accepts the offer and travels to Middleton, Miss. Gift’s feeling that she’s won the lottery fades when Victoria neglects to pay her and puts off enrolling her in college. Setta’s intelligent narrative offers a nuanced portrayal of Gift’s desperation, naivety, and pride, building tension by juxtaposing the stark terms of Gift’s exploitation and her stubborn hope that she’ll eventually get what she was promised. It’s a powerful coming-of-age tale. (Nov.)