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  • The Secret Lives of the Four Wives by Lola Shoneyin book cover
  • The Secret Lives of the Four Wives by Lola Shoneyin book cover
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The Secret Lives of the Four Wives

by Lola Shoneyin

Marriage, secrecy, and change in a Nigerian household

$15.65 USD
$26.09 USD $15.65 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

Marriage, secrecy, and change in a Nigerian household

Set within a prosperous family in modern-day Nigeria, Lola Shoneyin’s novel examines life in a polygamous household through the tensions among four wives. The arrival of a young, well-educated fourth wife unsettles the family’s established relationships and puts long-held secrets at risk of exposure. Marriage and family life provide the frame for a story that also engages with culture and the shifting balance within a household. The novel’s central conflict turns on what happens when a new presence disrupts an arrangement that has its own private rules and histories.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in family fiction centered on marriage and household relationships
  • Readers seeking novels set in modern-day Nigeria
  • Readers interested in stories about polygamy, secrecy, and changing family dynamics

Themes

Polygamy and marriageFamily relationshipsSecrecyCulture and change

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

African-born poet Lola Shoneyin sheds a fascinating light on the little-known world of polygamy in modern-day Nigeria, in her powerful and thought-provoking debut novel, The Secret Lives of the Four Wives (previously titled The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives). Fans of The 19th Wife and HBO's Big Love will be enthralled by this riveting tale of a prosperous African family thrown into turmoil when the patriarch adds a young, well-educated fourth wife into the mix who threatens to expose the other wives' deepest, darkest secrets.

"Alternately funny, shocking, and sad . . . a complex depiction of family and culture in modern-day Nigeria.
--Sacramento Book Review

"A magical writer. . . . [A] delicious story."--Huffington Post

 

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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Great service and fast service

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Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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