The Secret Lives of the Four Wives: A Novel

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

ADD TO MY SHELVES

Recommend book

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jul 5, 2011

304 pages

Average rating: 7.09

47 RATINGS

These clubs recently read this book...

Hill Country Readers

A local book club meeting once a month for sips, snacks, and dishing about our current read. We switch it up between mysteries, suspense and contemporary fiction 📖

Learn More

Loc'd & Lit

Aight, so boom! What happens when you bring together two millennial women with locs who also share a love of books, cocktails, and great conversation? You get the Loc’d & Lit book club!

This club was created by two life-long friends, Alanna and Trish, who are in the beginning stages of their loc journey and who also share a mutual love of all things books! We hope to build a community of fellow readers where we can share our voices and opinions as they are not always heard or highlighted in the current mainstream book-sphere. So join us monthly as we discuss our latest read and touch upon all themes relevant to women today, whether it be: relationships, parenting, career, race, or life’s constant twists and turns. We hope to explore it all as we talk about the ways that we are inspired and grow though our favorite books.

So may our locs thrive, our cocktails quench, and our pages turn - Its Loc’d & Lit!! (bookclub).

Learn More

DISCOVER MORE CLUBS

Community Reviews

Write a review...

Adri Adrimano

Feb 27, 2024

10/10 stars

The happenings in each of the women's lives are both hilarious and tragic, and are understandable, even relatable, despite being fictitious. One of my top 3 narrations I've ever heard.

Damaris

Mar 04, 2022

7/10 stars

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives' is such a mature and stinking opulent work. It is told in a dramatic way by the funniest and most sincere storyteller. From the day the book is picked and till the read is completed, the reader cannot but 'murder darlings' for this new-found darling to be fully savoured.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.

CREATE YOUR CLUB

More books by this author

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

SECRET LIVES BABA SEGIS WIV

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (Oberon Modern Plays)