The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
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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.
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“Only a foolish woman leans heavily on a man's promises.”
I don't know what I expected out of this book, but it was an incredibly compelling read. While polygamy isn't personally my thing, I loved reading how these four women interacted within Baba Segi's household. Turns out the result is lots of drama, lots of jealousy, lots of backstabbing.
Four women are married to Baba Segi, with Bolanle being the fourth wife. While the book initially starts us off on trying to figure out why Bolanle is unable to bear children, we're switched to the different viewpoints of first wife Iya Segi, second wife Iya Tope, and third wife Iya Femi and a new story emerges. The book changes viewpoints frequently amongst the wives, Baba Segi, and other people within the story's circle, and I liked how each different viewpoint layered something new onto Bolanle's story. While I saw the ending coming, how we got there was a really interesting ride.
I liked that the author was able to weave in funny moments into this tragic story, particularly surrounding Baba Segi himself. The story as a whole had a soap opera feel, but I enjoyed it immensely. It's not a long book, and the author clearly nailed the pacing in my opinion. Nothing felt slow, extraneous, or extra, everything added a little something more, and I really liked that.
Fair warning, there's a fair bit of sexism, and some explicit sexual scenes. It didn't bother me much since they added to the story, but if sexism isn't your thing, maybe pass on this one.
A very interesting book. I read it as part of the Across Time and Space Challenge on Storygraph that encourages to read books from different decades and different countries. It just confirms my belief that even while so many customs are alien to me, so many similarities persist, nonetheless. Perhaps rural Africa is more similar than one realises to rural India. Except for a few snippets of explicit language (personal preference for a family-friendly read, that's all), I enjoyed the author's style of writing. She truly transports the reader into the life of Baba Segi. Glad I picked up this book.
