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Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad

Stories

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

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.

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    • Booklist

      February 1, 2024
      Damilare Kuku's first book, a big hit in Nigeria, features 12 relatable, ridiculously entertaining, and sexually explicit stories about the love mishaps of women in Lagos who have to put up with mostly unreliable men. Spoiler alert: Readers shouldn't expect many happy endings, but the story lines aren't predictable despite the author's use of titles like ""Catfish,"" ""Sidelined,"" and ""Beard Gang."" Readers may intuit where the stories are going, but the events play out so cleverly and satisfyingly. The portrayals of the men aren't favorable, but they are fleshed-out and complex. ""Cuck-Up"" features a nuanced Indecent Proposal twist. ""The Anointed Wife"" stars a wily preacher's wife who takes care of her husband's unfavorable bad press. ""International Relations"" depicts a woman "tired of Lagos men" who takes extreme measures to only pursue white men. Infidelity, unreliability, deception, commitment issues, and exploitation figure in these stories with women getting the short end of the stick. But readers take heart, because through these unfortunate scenarios, women are transformed into formidable players. Damilare Kuku does not resort to clich�s or caricatures of men and women one-upping each other, instead she imparts gracious moments of femininity, reasonableness, compassion, confidence, and empowerment.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      February 1, 2024

      A hardworking woman protects her business interests by defusing allegations that her pastor husband has cheated. Another threatens to cut off her slovenly husband's penis if he doesn't shape up. Yet another, fed up with Nigerian men, decides to date only white men but finds they're just as bad. Kuku's boldly envelope-pushing collection was a huge hit in her native Nigeria. With a 40,000-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 4, 2024
      With this singular debut collection, Nigerian author Kuku digs into the trials and tribulations of dating and married life for women in Lagos. The frank “Cuck-up,” narrated in the second person, begins, “One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband’s penis and promise to cut it off.” The narrator then attempts to convince her husband’s family to intervene and push him to work rather than mooch off her. When that doesn’t succeed, the couple’s financial woes build to an unsettling denouement—less Lorena Bobbitt than Indecent Proposal. In “The Annointed Wife,” the wife of a pastor accused of hiring a sex worker stands behind her husband, indignant at what she believes are unfounded rumors. Her feelings change after she learns more about his secret life. The dual narrative of “Catfish” follows an up-and-coming musician named Don Okoro who slides into the DMs of a woman named Dooshima. Sensing he’d prefer casual sex to a serious relationship, she ends up turning down his booty call, though he still manages to hurt her feelings. Kuku finds both hideousness and humor in her precise details and candid, voice-driven characterizations. Readers who have had their own share of bad romances will appreciate the realness on display. Agent: Charlotte Seymour, Johnson & Alcock.

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