Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad

Stories

De: Damilare Kuku

Narrado por: Anniwaa Buachie, Thabang Makhubela

The anti-rom-com debut collection that took Nigeria by storm, featuring twelve “bewitching and revelatory” (The New York Times) and “ridiculously entertaining” (Booklist starred review) stories about the perils and pitfalls of dating men in Lagos, from a rising star of Nollywood

“Sharply observational, funny and profound, this book is dynamic sociological satire that is as universal as it is specific.” —Bolu Babalola, author of Reese's Book Club pick and national bestseller Honey and Spice

One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband's private part and promise to cut it off. It will scare him so much that the next day, he will call his family members for a meeting in the house. He will not call your family members, but you will not care. You won’t need them.

In this remarkable short story collection, Damilare Kuku takes us deep into the heart of modern Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, and the lives of a collection of audacious women who cope with romantic difficulties by brilliantly turning the tables on the men who wrong them.

One hardworking married woman calmly threatens sharp-edged revenge on her lazy, hypocritical husband. Another skillfully protects her own business interests by shielding her pastor-husband from allegations of cheating that may or may not be true. A group of wealthy wives deceived by their husbands join forces in a WhatsApp support group called the Virtuous Wives Guild. And a discerning dater fed up with Nigerian men makes a vow to date only oyibos before discovering that white men can act just as badly.

A bestseller in Damilare Kuku’s native Nigeria, Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad is a raunchy, satisfying, and outrageous read steeped in the chaos and allure of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest city. It’s also a love letter to Nigerian women: the women in these stories may be confronted at every turn with liars, scammers, and cheaters in their quests for love, but they always figure out how to come out victorious.

The complexity of all the characters

The stories told in this book are so important, the come of as so casual but have such deep meaning.

Could have been better

The voice narration could have been stronger—particularly the female readers, whose delivery often felt strained, almost as if they were in conflict rather than in character. The lovemaking scenes came across as immature and lacked the emotional or literary depth to feel meaningful. The writing lacked elegance and often felt overly dramatic, like a poorly made film. The biopic artists were portrayed with rough, exaggerated voices that felt uneducated and one-dimensional, making their dialogue hard to take seriously.

Excellent stories that needed different narrators!

As much as I liked these stories. Having narrators that were non Yoruba/Nigerian was very noticeable in so many instances. I was honestly surprised that creative decision.

The narrators used were fantastic and aren't to blame for the issue. The publisher should do better. For anyone who hasn't been to or lacks familiarity with the places in Lagos in this book, you'll be fine. If you're like me, then it can be distracting.

I still really liked this book and recommend it. Maybe hard copy instead!

Unflinchingly Real!

The author crafted unflinchingly real moments, some of which were painful, yet necessary in order to fully appreciate each snapshot into the characters' lives. A smattering of humor in unexpected places steadied journeys that are carefully measured, beautifully written, perfectly narrated. Well done all!

Interesting stories, terrible narration

The short stories were interesting and believable, but the narration completely ruined the experience. The forced, exaggerated Nigerian accents felt inauthentic and distracting, especially for the female narrator, making it hard to stay immersed in the storytelling.