Saturday 9 June 2012

The Secret Life of Baba Segi's Wives, 2010, by Lola Shoneyin ****

I just finished reading this book, luckily for me it is a Saturday morning I am at home and I can write my review right away. I really liked it and I give it 4 stars. Lola Shoneyin first novel, she tried, it was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011.
The storyline is very interesting, it tells the story of a polygamous family, a very extended issue in Nigeria (I believe in the rest of Africa), how the wives related among themselves, how each of them felt when their husband brought in their household wife #2, wife #3, wife #4. This book also tells the story of what impulsed the women to get married to their husband (first wife) already having families at home. This book for me is a sort of intro into the Yoruba community and I have to say they are not different from the Igbos even though the story is fiction.
One of the theme talked about in this book I liked (most probably because I am indulged in health science) is the role of the doctors and nurses in the Nigerian hospital, how they treated their patients putting aback all traditional belief, but focusing on scientifically proven medical evidence even on a very low budget and with most of the disbelief of their patients.
Lola Shoneyin was trying to give a voice to all of her characters, there are many of them and all with so many to talk about from their past and present that made them predict the future at the same time. This made the book so confusing, sometimes I don't know whose story I was reading, even if I did, I was  not so sure if the character was talking about his/her past or his/her present, and if  I knew who was telling the story, I still have to find out if he/she was telling his/her own story or that of someone else.
I recommend this book most especially to adults (yes, I said adults), sex was talked about in a very harsh straightforward way of which some people might consider offensive.

Por favor haz click aquí para leer en español.

6 comments:

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  3. Interesting review....keep up the good work...its quite insightful

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  4. Replies
    1. Yeah it was a good read. Kind of tricky at the end. Who would have said?

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