I Uncovered The Secrets of Baba Segi’s Household
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives — A Book Review
I decided to start reading again. This decision came after a long, drawn-out resolve to return to the habit that once ruled my life — before I made the exchange of page for screen. Also, the sight of people casually flexing the crazy-high numbers of books they’d read in their 2024 Book Wrapped left a deep, echoing void in me. While others were conquering mountains of books, my own “list” was an embarrassing placeholder of intentions.
And so I want to turn things around this new year.
Sure, for 2025, I want the big, flashy things, like securing a better-paying job or affording vacations that exist beyond my makeshift vision board on Instagram Saved. But quietly, more deeply, I crave something simpler yet profound: to read at least twelve books by the end of the year. One for each month.
Sometime last year, Prosper Dave Oge recommended that I flip through the pages of Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. If I was going to reignite my reading flame, why not begin with a book I’ve been circling for years?
You see, back in my OkadaBooks days, I read plenty of books for work as a content marketer. And for those I hadn’t gotten around to, I knew enough about them to talk a big game. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives was one of those. Between writing glowing copy and hearing endless praise from my more bookish colleagues-turned-friends, Temilade and Ada, I knew the title like the back of my hand. But I’d never actually read it.
Well, now I have. And now I get it — the hype, the praise, the lasting endurance.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives follows the household of Baba Segi, a prosperous, illiterate businessman with a bustling polygamous family. His wives — each distinct and compelling — are the beating heart of the story. There’s Iya Segi, the first wife, whose sharp tongue and steely resolve make her the natural matriarch; Iya Tope, sweet and mild-mannered, more observer than instigator; and Iya Femi, delightfully wicked with schemes as sharp as her words. Then there’s Bolanle, the latest addition to Baba Segi’s collection — a young, educated woman whose arrival disrupts the precarious balance of the household.
Bolanle’s struggle to conceive triggers Baba Segi’s insecurities. His identity is deeply tied to his ability to father children, a point of pride showcased in the growing numbers of his brood. Her perceived “barrenness” not only agitates him but also threatens the tightly held secret the older wives — especially Iya Segi and Iya Femi — are determined to protect. What unfolds is a family drama layered with deception, betrayal, and resilience.
Lola Shoneyin’s greatest triumph lies in how she paints her characters. Each one brims with life, their motivations laid bare through vivid backstories and intimate details. Shoneyin uses multiple points of view to immerse the reader into the lives and minds of her cast, often replaying events from different perspectives in new chapters. This technique enriches the narrative, allowing us to see not just what happens, but why — and how each character carries the weight of their choices.
As we delve deeper, we come to understand Bolanle, whose education and seemingly limitless potential make her decision to join this polygamous household all the more baffling at a time when the rest of the world seems set for her taking. And yet, when the layers of her trauma are revealed, all that’s left is pity — and the hope that she finds her way out, unscathed, even as the knives of the other wives grow sharper.
Shoneyin’s prose shines with vivid imagery and compelling descriptions, though at times her choices of dialogue or phrasing can pull you out of the world she’s so carefully built. Even so, the story digs its claws in early and refuses to let go — a testament to its emotional resonance and the universality of its themes.
When the secret at the heart of the story is finally revealed, Baba Segi’s world collapses. It’s a devastating blow, especially for a man whose identity has been built entirely on his virility and the ever-growing parade of his large household. To find out it was all a lie? Unimaginable.
The ending, upon deeper thought, feels more grounded in reality than I initially gave it credit for. At first glance, you expect the world to shatter under the weight of such deceit — a cascade of chaos and irrevocable consequences. But reality often tells a different story. More often than not, people choose silence over scandal, swallowing their pride and pain to avoid the public ridicule that exposure might bring. Baba Segi is no different.
Rather than upend his life entirely — sending all his wives packing as Teacher suggested, the seemingly logical choice — he takes a more shameful but arguably realistic route. He processes his pain quietly, weighs his options, and makes the calculated decision to maintain the status quo. After all, the riches, nice clothes, and jewelry he provides are enough to keep his wives bound to him in silent servitude. Even with the full knowledge that none of his children are biologically his, Baba Segi chooses his pride over public disgrace. It’s farfetched on the surface, but disturbingly plausible when you think about it.
I do, however, wish Shoneyin had spent more time delving into the psychology behind Baba Segi’s decision — the torment, the rationale, the compromises he had to make with himself, and what this might have done to inform Bolanle’s decision to leave. There’s a fascinating study of human behavior there that was only lightly touched upon. That said, the breezy tone that characterized the story from the start holds true to the end, wrapping things up neatly.
I had a good time with this book. It pulled me back into reading, kept me turning pages, and left me eager for more. I’m also excited for the upcoming film adaptation, a collaboration between Shoneyin, Ebony Life Studios, and Netflix— I can’t wait to see who brings Iya Femi’s wickedness to life and if her on-screen portrayal will be laced with more or less pepper.
As for my next book? I want something equally gripping, something to make me look forward to those quiet moments of stolen reading time. I’ve got a list of contenders, but I’d love your input. What should I read next?
List of books I currently have under consideration for the rest of 2025
- The Fishermen
- Purple Hibiscus
- Nearly All The Men in Lagos Are Mad
- Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow
- Half of a Yellow Sun (reading again)
- Children of Blood and Bone (reading again)
- Be(com)ing Nigerian (reading again)
- The Thing Around Your Neck (reading again)
