The Lagos Wife: A Novel
Written by Vanessa Walters
Narrated by Dami Olukoya and Debra Michaels
4/5
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About this audiobook
Previously published as The Nigerwife.
Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos, and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a troubled family past behind for sunny Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives—a community of foreign women married to Nigerian men.
But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her alleged perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her auntie Claudine decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with only a cell phone and a plane ticket to Nigeria, she digs into her niece’s life and uncovers a hidden side filled with dark secrets, isolation, and even violence. But the more she discovers about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.
Offering a razor-sharp look at the bonds of family, the echoing consequences of secrets, and whether we can ever truly outrun our past, The Lagos Wife “is a gripping work of suspense, a psychological puzzle, a mystery, and a critique of marriage and high society” (Shelf Awareness).
Editor's Note
Thought-provoking thriller…
Nicole belongs to the Nigerwives, a group of foreign women who married into high society in Lagos, Nigeria. Her life seems picture perfect — until she vanishes without a trace. Nicole’s aunt Claudine travels to Lagos to find her niece, and her search slowly reveals the truth about Nicole’s not-so-idyllic life and marriage. Divided between the “before” and “after,” and delivered from dual perspectives, Walters’ adult debut uses a thriller plot to dissect power imbalances, patriarchal cultures, and the choices women make to survive.
Vanessa Walters
Vanessa Walters was born and raised in London and has a background in international journalism and playwriting and is a Tin House resident and a Millay resident. She is the author of two previous YA books and The Nigerwife. She currently lives in Brooklyn.
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Reviews for The Lagos Wife
167 ratings22 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was really, really interesting although slow and predictable. I really disliked the unfinished ending. However, I welcomed this glance into Nigerian life.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nicole made a lot of risky decisions leading to all types of family drama on both sides! Nigeria was not the place to decide she wanted freedom as the corrupt nature of the city wasn’t one she could maneuver on her own. Her husband and stepfather were so condescending and it was all about the money. What an ending!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have listened to about 5 minutes of this audiobook, so I can't speak to the end yet. But the imagery, the reader's voice, this is a spectacular story so far.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely loved this book. It is a beautiful, honest and captivating read. I will read this again in the future.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such an amazing story about love, life, pain of our past and how it impacts our present choices. Great read
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was slow... but it was written well... and I like the ending, too.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Get to the point alreadyyyyyyyyy. Way too slow for me
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyable and very engaging. Great to Read from a Fresh Voice
If this was set anywhere, it would be a good story. The author sets the book in Nigeria and clearly writes with knowledge and authority. This mystery is elevated to 5 stars for this reader because I greatly appreciate both this glimpse into a world she knows and the understated but present acknowledgement of the too often dismissal of - and complexity of - generational trauma. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautifully written, very decent, absorbing, well-narrated. We need more books like this!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not as good as I would've hoped. Almost didn't finished it because it was taking too long to get to anything good. There was really no excitement to the story until the very end when everything was revealed; nothing to keep you interested along the way.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Captivating, engaging and easy read
Love
The character of Claudine, one family that loved and protected her family - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent story. Enjoyed it a lot. A lot of twist and turns
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Story definitely draws you in, would have loved a reunion of sorts at the end
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A bit of a slow start to get to the meat of this story, but once you do it’s hard to put down. Didn’t love the ending which is what kept this from being 5 stars for me.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Very slow to plot. Needed just a lil more intrigue.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Couldn’t get into this. The book evolves too slowly for me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I found this book to be exciting. Great read. A+
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written and good plot. Very interesting insights of the Nigerian community
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Started slow but once it took off I keep me reading
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very well read and an honest depiction of the painful side of cultural isolation. Love is never enough to conquer so much! As one who moved too for love, we need connections to survive and the discernment to know when enough is taken from us in the name of love.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very interesting but slow. I wish the characters had been more completely seceloped
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed the view into a completely unknown subculture and subgroup but I would have liked to find that ending one way or the other just because I read for employment and life is already got too many unknowns other than that enjoyable story The reader was fantastic