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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

“Men are like yam, you cut them how you like.”

Baba Segi has three wives, seven children, and a mansion filled with riches. But now he has his eyes on Bolanle, a young university graduate wise to life’s misfortunes. When Bolanle responds to Baba Segi’s advances, she unwittingly uncovers a secret which threatens to rock his patriarchal household to the core.

i is a scandalous, engrossing tale of sexual politics and family strife in modern-day Nigeria. Lola Shoneyin’s bestselling novel bursts on to the stage in a vivid adaptation by Caine Award-winning playwright Rotimi Babatunde.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherOberon Books
Release dateJun 8, 2018
ISBN9781786825520
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The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
Author

Lola Shoneyin

Lola Shoneyin’s debut novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 and went on to win the PEN Oakland 2011 Josephine Miles Literary Award and the Ken Saro-Wiwa Prose Prize.

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Rating: 3.6773218604651166 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book has been in my" to read" pile for sometime. I am not sure what made me less than excited to read it. Possibly the cover art and title implied that it would be a tedious folk story. I did pull it out of the pile because it was smaller than the rest and would fit in my luggage as I packed for an out of town job. I am glad I packed it!This book is not a folk story. If you can read this book without judging the polygamist life style and making any assumptions you will find it to be a very enlightening, brutally truthful story. This is a story of life in Nigeria. A place most Americans know little about. It is the story of four Nigerian wives and their polygamous husband. It brings some a very different view points to light. The characters are will written and three dimensional. The writing style retains some of the African flavor of the Nigerian language with many proverbs and colorful sayings throughout the book. Each chapter of the book is told by a different character. At times, it was a bit confusing, because the character that was speaking was not immediately identified. As you read it became apparent who the chapter was about. It kept me from becoming a lazy reader.If you are looking for a change of pace, put this one on the top of your "to read" pile!Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks for the opportunity to read and review this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved this style of narration, and the language employed by the author in the book. It is warm, lively, and sometimes, tongue in cheek. Lola Shoneyin is first a poet, and it shows in this novel. Her use of metaphors and similes were spare, but very fitting, and the imagery in most instances very lucid. There was very little verbosity, and it was effortless to hear the voices of the characters in my head. I later read a commentator mention that the author uses a kind of English from transliterated Yoruba, I don't know how true this is since I do not speak Yoruba, but the style certainly works for me in the book. It is not only the style and language that refreshes in this book, but the empathy with which the women of Baba Segi are portrayed. They are not `tear-eye' monsters out to use Baba Segi's money for lace and gold, neither are they lazy buffoons, content to sit on their backside just because they are now married to an affluent man. In addition to their back stories; Iya Segi as an shrewd businesswoman, Iya Tope as industrious, if slow-witted, and Iya Femi as a hardworking maid with dreams of marrying the madam's son; they are as wives who bear this stirring secret, women you find it easy to identify with, to cheer on, to like, even if not love. Even when their secrets drive them to extremes of behavior and tragedy, we still see the humanity that lies beneath. Lola Shoneyin's book is a definite conversation starter and is written with an occasional humor that only adds to the depth of the work. The book tackles the sometimes deplorable status of women in Nigeria, and is not afraid to say it like it is. The author writes about real issues and real women, and made an often-told story one that engages and edifies. There are many secrets in this book, just like a lot of us have in our lives, and it is sometimes only by letting the secret out that we achieve true liberty. This was an enjoyable book and I will recommend it to anyone.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bolanle is the youngest, fourth wife of Baba Segi, a wealthy Nigerian man. She is also educated, and is somewhat torn between tradition and an independent bent. I really enjoyed this aspect of her character -- she very much wants to fit in with the family and the other wives, and most of all give Baba Segi a child, but at the same time she entertains fantasies of teaching the other wives and showing them a better, more modern way of life. She learns pretty quickly that her education has not prepared her for navigating the treacherous waters of her new household, however.This book drew me in quickly, and I was interested in the subject matter, but overall I found myself somewhat confused by the tone. It was often rather humorous or satirical, particularly when describing Baba Segi, but when tragic events occur in the narrative, the tone seems a little misplaced.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I like this one somewhat but found it a little hard to get into and found the characters a little hard to follow at times. It was an middle of the road read for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I never connected with the characters in this book. The point of view kept shifting - each chapter was told, first person, by a different wife (or sometimes Baba Segi). Then there'd be a chapter written in third person, then back to first. It was a little confusing. The story was interesting, but felt a little unfinished at the end, as if the author just got tired of writing. I did enjoy the look at life in another culture.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really wanted to like this book. I was interested in it as soon as I read an excerpt and summary. And, while I did overall enjoy it, the level of crassness in speaking about bodily functions and sex was at times a real turn off.However, the characters were interesting and I did like finding out about the details of their lives before meeting Baba Segi and why they had accepted a place in his household. I did not find the main 'secret' to be all that surprising, though, which might have helped had their been more mystery to it all. There are so many characters, though, and while you do learn some about each of the main ones, they each still feel a bit incomplete and somewhat stereotypical. I, unlike some others, liked the challenge of figuring out who was narrating the chapters. It was usually not too difficult, but I had to read a little more carefully to determine it.All in all, I mostly enjoyed the book, although it did not quite reach the high hopes I had for it and some of the language is just plain crude. Do not give this to your teenage daughter! However, there is lots to talk about, so some book groups might find the culture and story interesting. A previous reviewer mentioned that it is like a soap opera and I wholly agree with that analysis!Summary: Set in Nigeria, Baba Segi is a successful business man who has 4 wives, and although the first 3 have given him 7 children, the newest and most educated of the wives, Bolanle can not conceive. The other wives are quite jealous when Baba brings her into their household and while one shows some compassion, she is not bold enough to stand up to the other two who plot to get Bolanle to leave their household. Not a ton of present day action - more of a character study, including insight into the wives pasts.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An unusual look at life in modern day Nigeria, using the theme of polygamous marriage as the setting. Baba Segi is a small time merchant who, because of the success of his marriages, thinks he is a big timer. His first wife, and ex officio major domo of the household, has presented him with two daughters and a son. He is unaware that she is also the source of his wealth (his mother and her mother having conspired to settle a large sum on the wife in return for the marriage). Life goes along, he brings home wife #2, whose background has sufficiently cowed her so that she is grateful for a nice house, a shared husband, and the chance to braid hair for all the children. When wife #3 comes along, there is a bit more turmoil, since she is one who likes to look pretty, does no housework, and just wants to enjoy the good life. In spite of their differences, the three wives eventually settle into a routine each can live with, they enjoy their children and their status and Baba Segi is living the high life.The apple cart is upset, however, when wife #4 joins the party. She is young and HORROR OF HORRORS--she is University Educated. She tries to teach the other wives and the children to read, she goes off on her own during the day to shop, she takes her turn at the household (and marital) chores, but isn't allowed by 1-3 to really become assimilated into the group. They despise her, and begin plotting to have her removed (hopefully by forcing her to leave on her own.). She simply refuses to be intimidated. When wife #4 is unable to conceive, a wise medicine man suggests to Baba Segi that he take her to a hospital, since she would be much more likely to listen to the educated doctors, then to tribal medicine men. The test results are surprising, and will ultimately threaten not only marriage #4, but 1,2 and 3 also.The ensuing happenings are by turn tragic, comic, and surprising. I'm not sure if the author was trying to give us an anthropological picture of life in modern day Nigeria, or use this to form the basis of an African sit-com. The characters seem almost to be stereotypes, and I found it hard to follow the constant change of POV that occurred with each chapter. I wish the author had given us more indication at the beginning of each change so I could see who was actually speaking, but in the end, it did not substantially detract from my ability to follow the story. It's not going to win any prizes, but the average reader will be able to finish and enjoy it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives was a thought provoking look at the reasons for marriage and the choices we make. Each of Baba Segi's wives married him for a different reason. For one, it was to escape her servitude, for another it was financial, another wife was just lazy, and the newest wife married out of shame.The first half of the book sets up the rest of the book, making the last third of the novel the most interesting part. For the most part, the wives are horrible people but as their reasons for being in this marriage and their backgrounds are revealed, I understood better why they are like they are. The consequences of the wives actions comes to fruition in the last few chapters, and the book turned out to be quite sad, but I still enjoyed this little glimpse into a fictional, polygamous family in Nigeria. I also loved that the author threw in chapters narrated by Baba Segi as well as his driver. That was a nice touch in a book that was otherwise narrated by his wives.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Baba Segi brings home his fourth wife, Bolanle, an educated woman, he is completely unaware of the conflict this would create in his home. Two of the other wives are convinced that Bolanle is a witch, trying to disrupt their home, and vow to everything they can to get rid of her, while the last wife is too timid to do anything about it. But Bolanle has secrets of her own, which threaten to draw out the secrets of all the women in the home. While Shoneyin's writing vividly describes these people and their lives, I have mixed feelings about this book. A full and complete portrait is drawn of each woman, and yet the story still seems to come off as an innocent women walking into a nest of vipers. The women are nasty and cruel, which is fine, as I have no doubt that this kind of behavior happens. I can see this story as though it happened in real live. It's as thought I could travel to Africa and perhaps meet just these people. And yet, I was slightly disappointed by how things turned out. No one seemed to learn anything, except perhaps Bonlanle, but even then I'm not quite sure how she came to do so. How did what happened bring her to the conclusions she comes to? I wanted something more to happen, something more to develop from what unfolds, and yet, what happened seems the only natural course for things to turn out. So, yeah, I guess all I can say is that I'm torn.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I looked forward to reading this book. Why, another look at a marriage with more than one spouse, and another culture. It was very hard to even like the husband of the 4 wives, Baba Segi. He was a throw-back from the distant past. An alpha-male to the extreme. He valued his wives by the children they bore for him, especially a male child. What a surprise!And the 4 wives. Three of them were hard to even like. The fourth wife was the youngest and the only one who was educated. She was hated by the other wives. Bolanle (her name) suffered in silence, never expressing Her cruel treatment by the other wives, and even the husband.I almost gave up on this book. But, there is a small part almost at the end which almost makes it not a waste of time to have read this book. I will leave this surprise for other readers who take a chance that they might like this type of book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This little novel tackles some pretty deep themes in only 280 fast-paced pages. Set in Nigeria, it begins with the addition of a fourth wife, Bolanle, into the home of Baba Segi, a well-off businessman who prides himself on his wives and many children. Bolanle is envied and resented by the other wives, who are jealous and fearful of her educated status and worried that she will steal away Baba Segi's already divided affections.It's a fascinating look into a polygamous household and the complexities of family life. It's also a meditation on gender, power, class, and the idea of sacrificing one's self for security. Bolanle harbors a sad secret, and the other wives have some big secrets of their own. The novel is told from the alternating perspectives of each of the four wives. Baba Segi himself doesn't have a voice until near the end of the novel. Despite the alternating voices, the novel maintains a smooth flow and a clear narrative. The prose is concise but powerful. While Bolanle is the main voice of the novel, it's surprising how easy it is to feel a connection with the other characters who have much shorter narratives. As the novel unfolds, the background of each wife prior to her marriage to Baba Segi is revealed, providing insight into their fears and motivations.Overall this is a quick, but deep read that I thoroughly enjoyed and continued to ponder after the last page was turned.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Admittedly, the novel followed the conventions of a soap opera, especially in its reliance on dramatic secrets that the reader can discern long before the characters do. Nontheless, I enjoyed the writing and the exotic setting.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    What an unpleasant read this was! This novel of a Nigerian Baba with his 4 wives was not what I was expecting. I found it humorless and quite ugly-- violence against women, women slapping their children, rape, sister-wives cruelty, toilet humor. Early on, I assumed these women were an African equivalent of our Bravo series "Housewives of...(fill in the city)". But this story is much darker and I can see no reason to recommend it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Throughout the first quarter of this novel, I found myself laughing my butt off. Baba Segi is one of the most ignorant men to walk the face of this earth (in fiction anyway.) Sure, men see him as successful because after all, he is able to afford four wives and 7 children and four comfortable armchairs, but this man is not only terribly stupid at times but he also vomits on himself when he gets upset and um, at one point, he poops his pants. So... by the time I got to the part where the polygamist pooped his pants, I was checking the spine and the back of this book to see if it was branded humor because that wasn't what I expected. However, when Baba attempted to strangle wife number four, I decided this was most def not funny. From that point on, the book was downhill. Baba is a jerk and his wives are conniving, evil wenches, the exception being wife number four, Bolanle. Bolanle is just a weak woman who thinks that because something bad happened to her at 15, she is doing the right thing by throwing away a college degree to marry a fat old man who poops and vomits and has three other equally ignorant and repulsive wives. I failed to ever see her reasoning in marrying this man. Well, Bolanle is not conceiving a child (and this is why there is only four armchairs.. she hasn't earned her own chair yet), despite Baba's many attempts so off to the hospital they go and boy, this opens a can of worms. I hated the entire middle. The wives all gripe and bellyache and hate each other. Even Bolanle's mother does nothing but gripe and bellyache about her daughters. The ending was pretty decent tho, saving this from becoming a one star read. The secret of Baba's wives, I seen coming, but there was a surprise issue involving one of the daughters. I didn't see that coming and I appreciated the moral involved in it, about hate and hateful actions. They can come back on you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even though I knew what was coming about half-way through the story, I still kept eagerly reading to see how the revelation would impact the family.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What would make an educated twenty-five year old enter into a relationship that would make her the fourth wife of a middle-aged man? The Secret Life of Baba Segi's Wives is the story of all of the wives but it is really Bolanle's story. Her entry into the house brings forth secrets long held by all involved and forces everyone to reevaluate life and what it means to be a family. Lola Shoeneyin has written a small book with big issues. It's a fast paced read that truly stays with the reader even after the cover is closed for the last time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vivid details, and a world I knew nothing about.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set in Nigeria, this novel examines the jealousies and complexities of a polygamous family. The household of Baba Segi Alao, patriarch, three wives, many children, and a new arrival, a fourth wife, Bolanle. Bolanle is different, it seems to the other wives: young, well-educated, attractive, her presence threatens to overturn the uneasy balance that has reigned in the Alao household. Bolanle is also childless, and much of the novel deals with her difficulties conceiving. Her efforts to overcome infertility threaten to expose some of the family's darkest secrets. Told by a broad cast of characters, the reader soon learns that secrets are the norm in this household, and each member harbors them. Polygamy was not the first choice for any of the wives, but all harbor secrets in their past that threaten their marriageability. The intimate look at how polygamy works was extremely interesting. The wives have all traded past problems for a new kind of hierarchy. The character most interesting to me at the book's conclusion was the least interesting at the outset: Baba Segi. He begins the book as something of a caricature, a man on the make looking to experience and broadcast all trappings of success, including multiple wives. By the end he has experienced significant domestic issues and emotions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although of little relevance, I thought I needed to say that this story reminded me a bit of Su Tong's novella, Raise the Red Lantern, a story of a polygamous family in 1930's China, mainly due to the jealousy and rivalry between 3 wives against the 4th youngest one.

    The general pace of the novel is very good, starting off in a lighter tone and getting more serious in the second half, which shows excellent writing. The idea of having the the Point of View vary in the chapters among the wives is also a artistic literary device, but because the narrative style is similar, you don't know which wife is speaking in which chapter until you are about halfway though it, and to me this was a big flaw, and the author lost a star because of this in my rating.

    The satirical caricature of the polygamist Baba Segi, was very amusing and served as a wry comment on male dominance in patriarchal cultures.
    All the characters are engaging and full of humor, wit, malice, spite, and even some charm as well.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Baba Segi is worried. His first three wives have had seven children between them but his fourth wife has yet to get pregnant. He decides to take action. Being, in his own eyes, a considerate man, he decides to humour his graduate wife, Bolanle, and seek help from a doctor, rather than a herbalist or a prophet.So begins the story of a polygamist household in Nigeria. Bolanle is already resented by the first three wives. Before she arrived, the household had an uneasy equilibrium. This development threatens to upset the whole family.The title of this book nicely captures the ambiguity of the story - the four women are defined by their status as wife but each has her own world and her own secret. The wives tell their own stories in alternating chapters, while Baba Segi is narrated in the third person, making them the protagonists and him a bystander.The book avoids easy judgements and stereotypes. Baba Segi is not a brute. He is clumsy but caring. He has unappealing habits and a sensitive bowel. He plays the master of the house but is blissfully - or wilfully - unaware of the struggles for power and the small daily cruelties that go on around him.The women show Baba Segi almost comical levels of deference while they plot and scheme, but whatever the challenges of the marriage, their experiences to date have taught them that life could be much worse.They are strong and they have suffered. They have experienced poverty and abuse but they narrate their stories with energy and earthy humour. They speak in direct language disrupted by startling imagery and vivid colour.All of life is here, pain and laughter, evil and absurdity. Some of what happens is truly shocking but is also understandable. What shines through is the determination of the women to survive, to wring some happiness from life, even if that means inflicting harm on others. This is a beautiful and unsettling book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I began this months ago, but I put it down and forgot about it (I got distracted & couldn't remember where I put it).... It's like that.

    This was an interesting book, but I found it to be slow reading, the characters a bit flat (not well developed), nor were they very likable. So I was never really invested in their stories...

    From the back cover:
    "When Baba Segi awoke with a bellyache for the sixth day in a row, he knew it was time to do something drastic about his fourth wife's childlessness."

    Baba Segi: a large round, vain, and rich middle-aged man with a lusty & abundant appetite. He is the patriarch of a large family that now includes; four wives and seven children. Unbeknownst to him, his disregard of his first three wives via the introduction of his newest fourth wife is about to topple his apple cart.

    Iya Segi: Number One wife, is powerful and wealthy in her own right. Not only does she run the household, but she runs numerous businesses outside of the house as well. She is shrewd and not to be disturbed, especially not by a fourth wife. She will protect her position, home & family no matter the cost.

    Iya Tope, Number Two wife is a shy woman with a prevailing sense of decency and kindness. She loves life but she is ruled by fear.

    Iya Femi: Number Three wife is a lazy cunning woman whose main concern is comfort and expensive gifts. Her main focus is to attain all of her desires, no matter the cost to the family.

    Bolanle: Number Four wife is the youngest and educated. Education has made her wise for her years and position. Unfortunately her introduction to the family causes great jealousy in the other wives... and her secret, when unveiled, will expose the family's ugly truths and will rock them all to the very depts of their foundation.

    Note: the names of the wives, Iya -, denotes Mother of Oldest child's name. Bolanle has no child, therefore is called by her familiar name.

    Wow, what nasty people.... But I can see the circumstances of their characters, as living in rural Nigeria would mold them.

    The story when I got into it was interesting and profoundly sad..... It showed a life that I could never imagine and was rich in the description, although as I said earlier, I felt the characters to be a bit flat.

    At the end, I really couldn't tell who was narrating, but it didn't matter as the climax was satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set in contemporary Nigeria, this book explores the tensions and confusing motivations not only in modern polygamy, but in love and sexual relationships in general in a setting of difficult economic and social circumstances. While each of Baba Segi's four wives is the "voice" of some parts of the novel, the protagonist is clearly the youngest wife. While Bonalale choses to become the fourth wife to "hide" the shame of her past, her arrival in the household ends up exposing everyone's pasts in uncomfortable ways. A well-paced and engaging read with a lots of serious food for thought, despite a generally light tone.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very enjoyable book. Though many of the events are horrible - and you have to wonder about the limit of people's cruelty and pettiness! - the story explores people's various motives in life. I still don't truly understand Bolanle's motives despite her explanations, but that doesn't diminish the book's value for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What is it about polygamy that makes for great fiction? This isn't as good as The Lonely Polygamist, but it is still a great read. Highly recommended (especially for Lauren B).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Adult fiction. Each of Baba Segi's four wives had her own reasons for marrying him, and likewise each has her own ways of taking control over her situation. Beautifully woven story from Nigerian author Shoneyin.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was attracted to the book cover with the gorgeous silhouette of this african like princess in a stunning head wrap. Beautiful cover!I had trouble following the story and the characters until I got to page 103. Written by an African-born (Nigerian) poet Lola Shoneyin in this thought-provoking debut novel that is centered around Bolanle who enters into a polygamous world in which her very presence unlocks a secret that the other wives have long guarded.There was humor, shocking moments and sadness in the novel that kept me pushing through. The Nigerian customs, culture, and traditions that I had to jump over due to the lack of knowledge, since never having traveled to the west coast of Africa. A lot of this was explained at the end in an interview with the author which was taken from her intimate life. How the four women became wives to Baba Segi was the major point of interest to me for this novel.Lola Shoneyin has a beautiful story written in prose which amplified her verse in poetry writing. A difficult read, however the totality of this novel was worth the read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Awesome book, I loved how the author let you know each character on an intimate level. I also loved how every part was woven together for a shocking conclusion!!! BRAVO!!!!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    There's some humor here, and the modern Nigerian setting is interesting. But overall I found it depressing to have so many characters so manically focused on sex and children, to the exclusion of everything else. Not really my cup of tea.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bolanle is the youngest and newest wife to enter Baba Sagi's household. The only one of the wives that is educated, Bonanle presents a threat to the other wives - in more ways than one. They are intimidated by her education and concerned that a secret shared by all three wives will be revealed. So begins the plight of the women who are the cornerstone to The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.Told from alternating viewpoints, Lola Shoneyin gives her readers just enough to keep the story moving, uncovering small angles of the story with each chapter. We learn about each wife: Iya Segi, Iya Tope and Iya Femi as well as Bolanle and Babi Segi. Individually, their stories are a fascinating look at polygamous marriage and how they came to marry Babi Segi.While the entire story was engaging, I found the first three wives to be horrible, conniving and distrustful. I didn't like them, even as I learned their "backstories." Baba Segi was even less likeable. Bonanle was the saving grace, and I was usually relieved when I learned the next chapter would be told from her point of view. The ending was sad - unnecessarily tragic - and I let out a big sigh when I finished this book. All in all, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives was just an average read for me. Be sure to check out others' reviews, though, before deciding to read this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bolanle is Baba Segi’s fourth wife in a polygamous marriage. She is educated and young, and is a threat to the other wives in more ways than one. When she fails to conceive a child, Baba Segi is bereft and begins to seek answers which may uncover the biggest secret his wives have kept from him yet. Told in multiple and alternating viewpoints, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives explores the polygamist society of Nigeria by gradually revealing the secrets of the women who people the novel.Iya Segi is the first wife – large and outspoken, she is the unofficial power beneath Baba Segi’s roof. Her plan to humiliate Bolanle and drive her from their home gets lukewarm support from Iya Femi, the third wife who has vengeance on her mind and who would rather see a quicker solution to the problem.When a plan does not go right, you plot again. One day you will get it right. One day you will be able to damage the person who hurts you so completely that they will never be able to recover. I have told Iya Segi this on several occasions. I keep telling her that we need to find a permanent solution but she does not have wisdom. – from The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, page 74 -Iya Tope is the second wife, a woman whose compassion is silenced by fear. Forced into an arranged marriage to Baba Segi, Iya Tope has learned to be humble and silent in the face of wrong doing.As the story unfolds, the lives of each of these women intersect and come together to reveal the larger family of Baba Segi. Other characters are introduced, including Taju, the driver who also harbors a secret, and the many children who live in the house. Although Lola Shoneyin breaks up each person’s narrative by chapter, I found many of the characters’ voices to be interchangeable, and so sometimes I found myself struggling to keep all their stories straight in my mind.Thematically, the novel probes the rights of women in a polygamist society and in Africa in general. Baba Segi is a self-important, chauvinistic man who sees Bolanle’s inability to conceive solely her fault. His view of sex is all about his own pleasure and he refers to it in crass terms. In general, sex is not portrayed as all that desirable – for the most part, it is represented as a wifely duty for the women with the point being to produce children. Sex for pleasure is largely punished and a source of guilt in the novel.Shoneyin shows the inequality of women in her book, and all but Bolanle are portrayed as conniving, manipulative and vengeful. It made me wonder how accurate the novel is with regard to women in African society. Ultimately, Shoneyin provides for some redemption and forgiveness in her book about family secrets, betrayal, and disloyalty.I found this to be an easy book to read. The individual stories are laced with myth, parables and folk lore. I enjoyed the gradual revealing of each character’s secret – a bit like peeling the layers off of an onion. Shoneyin managed to surprise me a bit with Baba Segi’s character who is so stereotypical at the outset, but managed to grow into a person who had depth and empathy by the end of the book.The plot of this book is original, although the characters felt a little bit undeveloped to me. Shoneyin captures the flavor of a paternalistic society well.The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives was nominated for the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction and will appeal to readers who enjoy African literature.