Bolanle is Baba Segi's newest wife and her arrival threatens to destabilize his household in all the ways you'd expect but there's more. Bolanle is an even bigger threat because Baba Segi's three other wives are guarding a secret so scandalous, it's in their best interest to get rid of Bolanle. Iya Segi, Baba's first wife who's also the one with the most to lose if everything crumbles, takes it upon herself to make Bolanle leave using every trick she can think of. When nothing seems to be working she decides to go for the kill...
We meet Baba's wives, see their individual reactions to the brand new, college educated wife whom their husband is smitten with, and then Shoneyin delves beneath their outward appearances to show us what lies beneath. Every wife has her own remarkable life story and our knowledge of their private struggles and the journey to this point in time affects how we react to them. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is a delightful page-turner. You should read it.
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This one of my first reads! I really enjoyed it. Quite tricky at the end!
ReplyDeleteHey Mary! I really enjoyed it too and yeah it didn't end how I thought it might end but that's a good thing.
DeleteNice review, Osondu! I read this back in 2011... I don't really remember all the details. I just remember feeling slightly disappointed by the ending...and being annoyed with Bolanle. Maybe I should re-read this lol. I was fascinated by Lola Shoneyin's crude/lewd sexual descriptions - they startled me hahaa. In a way, I think I consider this novel a feminist text, just because all the female characters had some sort of power over Baba Segi, which in turn made him powerless (I don't know if that made sense... but yeah). I liked the commentary on polygamy, the power of education and how various family backgrounds and problems are manifested in children's lives. I hope she writes a new novel soon. I read her short story in Africa 39 - I think it was an excerpt from her new novel 'Harlot'. It was a cool story... same crude sexual descriptions hahaa.
ReplyDeleteThank you Darkowaa! Yeah she was crude/lewd in her sexual descriptions from the beginning and I was like... "ahhhhhh"...lol. But yeah, the women were always in control in the background with Baba Segi. Remember how his Mom and Iya Segi's mom set him up in the first place? It is a feminist piece for sure. I'm not crazy about the ending either.
DeleteI agree! Can I please have your email address? Or what's a good way to contact you? Wanna run something by you...
ReplyDeleteHey! Yeah, definitely! Email me at incessantscribble@gmail.com and then I'll send you my personal email address if needed.
Deletecool, thanks!
DeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jess and I’m a journalist and podcast producer at BreakThru Radio, a multi-media platform covering independent news. One of the podcasts I host is called Biology of the Blog and revolves around interviewing one awesome blogger (such as yourself!) every week on the show. I’m wondering if you might be willing to come on air as a guest speaker in the next couple weeks and chat about Incessant Scribble?
The interview is not done live (don’t worry), so I can edit out any verbal pauses. I’ve found the best medium is Skype (mine) to phone (yours), and can give you a call from our studio.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please send me a reply along with some idea of availability over the next week or so and we can figure out more details.
Thanks so much for your time and consideration!
Warmly,
Jess Goulart
Hi Jess!
DeleteThank you very much for reaching out to me. I'm glad you like my blog and I'm flattered that you'd love to interview me on your podcast show. Please send me an email at incessantscribble@gmail.com. That way I can get your contact information and also email you any questions I have about the interview. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you and have a wonderful week!
Osondu Awaraka