I am the lucky recipient of a number of the Orange longlist titles from some kind publishers, and when they've all trickled in, I shall treat you to a picture of them. But, as soon as the longlist was announced, I was suddenly excited to read some contemporary women's fiction, and knew that I would fall on whichever one landed on my doorstep first. That title was The secret lives of Baba Segi's wives by Lola Shoneyin and I'm happy to report that it got my Orange 2011 reading off to an excellent start.
This captivating domestic tale, set in Nigeria, is the story of Baba Segni and his four wives. We meet them shortly after the fourth wife has joined the family; Bolanle is somewhat different to the other three wives, being a university graduate. But, she isn't exempt from the need to provide her husband with children. The other wives have managed it, so why can't she? Is it because she had an abortion after being raped as a teenager?
Bolanle is a likeable character, rather more so than the other three wives or Baba Segni - perhaps it was because I identified with her as a university graduate, and felt for her plight in supposedly letting her husband down. The book is narrated by different wives in turn, as well as Baba Segni and his driver, which was a little confusing at times and it didn't make the other wives stand out as clearly in my mind, but it worked well as a story-telling device.
What I liked about this book, apart from the fact that I didn't work out how the story would resolve itself until very near to the end, was the insight it gave into the dynamics of a polygamous marriage - the relationships between the wives is understandably tense at times but there are also occasional moments of mutual support, such as when Bolanle is able to use her superior life-knowledge to assist another wife who is suffering greatly from constipation. It is at times comic, so even if my western perspective on polygamy and women's freedom made me recoil in horror from the concept of polygamy, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the episodes in the book. The blend of humour with the story was just right.
I haven't read enough of the other books to say whether I think it is shortlist/prizewinner material or not, but I will stick my neck out to say that it is such an enjoyable read that it is worth seeking out even if it doesn't make it into the final cut.
Many thanks to Anne-Marie from Serpent's Tail for providing me with my copy.
This is the first review of this book that I've seen and you have made it sound very appealing. I haven't had that much luck with the Oranges yet, but this one might manage to turn things around. I hope my library gets the copy to me quickly.
ReplyDeleteThis one does appeal to me whilst others on the list would have me running for the hills! I wonder how many of the actual list will be "enjoyable" reads...
ReplyDeleteI have also just read this book and enjoyed it. I doubt I would have found it without the Orange long list. I hope the other books are as pleasant a surprise as this.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a good read one to look out for.
ReplyDeleteThis one caught my eye in the library before the longlist and I rushed back to pick it up when i saw it among the twenty. I'm pleased to see such a positive report and interested to see how different the covers are on the two different editions. To reach a wider audience perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a review of this over at Kinna Reads. It's been on my wishlist since. I was going to be send one by the publisher, I think, but it doesn't seem to arrive. So now I bought it. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did :)
ReplyDeleteVerity, on the strength of this review, I've reserved this from the library. The single copy in my library system is out on loan at the moment, but I'm next in line to get it.
ReplyDeleteI don't normally bother with reading books that are in these prize lists, so you've done well to arouse my interest.
I read this book when it was first released last year and really enjoyed it. I found it entertaining, engaging and easy to get into. Highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review - and to others who've also endorsed it. Going on my TBR, as I'm good and ready for a properly enjoyable read.
ReplyDeleteI just started this one last night and am only 10% in (Kindle reading), but I am enraptured thus far! I'm really intrigued by the storyline and have loved the combination of boldness and softness in her writing thus far. Again, I'm glad to hear you liked this one!
ReplyDelete"The blend of humour with the story was just right."
ReplyDeleteI agree: I wasn't expecting comedic elements, but it was the perfect tone to offset the serious bits of the story. (My thoughts are here if you're interested.)
I haven't read enough of the list to make shortlist predictions yet either (not even halfway through yet), but this is definitely an enjoyable read.