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Booktopia Comments
Book Description
To the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi.
She is a graduate and therefore a great prize, but even graduates must produce children and her husband's persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be. Bolanle is too educated for the 'white garment conmen' Baba Segi would usually go to for fertility advice, so he takes her to hospital to discover the cause of her barrenness.
Weaving the voices of Baba Segi and his four competing wives into a portrait of a clamorous household of twelve, Lola Shoneyin evokes an extraordinary Nigerian family in splashes of vibrant colour.
About the Author
Lola Shoneyin has published three collections of poems. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is her debut novel. Having lived in London and the South East for several years, Shoneyin has recently moved to Abuja, Nigeria, and teaches drama and English at a local school.
In The Press
Reviews
'A Rabelaisian picture of polygamous marriage,comically capturing the physical realities of ordinary Nigerian life.', Giles Foden
'A funny and moving story told with love and compassion ... a jewel of a novel', Petina Gappah
'Riotous... this debut novel is a real eye-opener: a deft, compelling and unsettling tale.', Ailin Quinlan, Irish Examiner
'This deft, lightly spun story packs quite a punch. Shoneyin's unravelling of a family is rooted in and flavoured by Nigeria, but speaks more widely. It is a book you'll want to eat in a sitting - and then start again', Diran Adebayo
'This first novel is a compelling, unsettling tale of a polygamous household and the women within Baba Segi's walls. Shoneyin's sharply written portrait of a family and a nation gripped by the past, yet surging into modernity, manages to be funny, disconcerting and violent all at once. An utterly gripping read.', Patricia Duncker
'A rich debut... an engrossing and beautifully written domestic tale of polygamy and rivalry set in her native Nigeria.', Harper's Bazaar
'Riveting... a truly compelling tale...', Davina Morris, The Voice
'An engrossing portrayal of a polygamous household... a rich portrait of a family on the verge of collapse.', Yasmin Sulaiman, The List
'An insightful and compelling tale set within a polygamous household', Pride
'A novel of clamorous intensity. With such Chaucerian tumult, one expects comedy and there is certainly some humour here, but much pain too... Shoneyin's language is that of a poet, both extravagant and exact... Well-structured and with a gratifying resolution.', Jane Housham, Guardian
'A rich debut... an engrossing and beautifully written domestic tale of polygamy and rivalry'Harpers Bazaar
ISBN: 9781846687495
ISBN-10: 1846687497
Number Of Pages: 256
Publisher: Serpent's Tail Limited
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 13.2
x 1.9
Weight (kg): 0.209
Audience:
General
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