Description
A modern classic - Lola Shoneyin's debut novel is a portrait of a clamorous household in the midst of upheaval
About the Author
Lola Shoneyin has published three collections of poems and a children's book. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives is her debut novel. In 2014 she was named on the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40. Shoneyin is the director of Ake Arts and Book Festival. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
Reviews
Comic, tragic, topical and entertaining in equal measure -- Bernardine Evaristo
Heavy issues, but her touch is so skillful that she finds redeeming features in even her wickedest characters, and comedy even in violence and cruelty * Guardian *
A funny and moving story told with love and compassion ... a jewel of a novel -- Petina Gappah
A Rabelaisian picture of polygamous marriage, comically capturing the physical realities of ordinary Nigerian life. -- Giles Foden
This deft, lightly spun story packs quite a punch. Shoneyin's unravelling of a family is rooted in and flavoured by Nigeria, but speaks more widely. It is a book you'll want to eat in a sitting - and then start again -- Diran Adebayo
Riotous... this debut novel is a real eye-opener: a deft, compelling and unsettling tale. -- Ailin Quinlan * Irish Examiner *
Awards
Winner of PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award 2011 (UK). Short-listed for Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 (UK). Long-listed for Orange Prize 2011 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9781788167581
Author Lola Shoneyin
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Serpent's Tail
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 194mm * 128mm * 20mm