Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad: Stories

Nigerian writer Kuku’s debut collection features 12 vibrant and frankly sexual stories about Nigerian women surrounded by philandering and exasperatingly unreliable Lagosian men. Whether they are contending with an unfaithful spouse, financial woes, or public scandal, the women—a pastor’s wife, a bookseller, a writer—resist easy categorizations. While the men’s behavior is often infuriating, the stories are peppered with amusing moments powered by the protagonists’ outsized personalities and schemes. The closing story, “Independence Day,” begins with a content warning for sexual abuse but ends on an empowering note. Ghanaian British actor Anniwaa Buachie and South African voice-over artist Thabang Makhubela narrate the collection. Buachie employs different dialects and accents to great effect, changing her tone to capture the characters’ unique personalities. She deftly taps into the stories’ emotional current, allowing listeners to feel the characters’ sadness, frustration, and hurt. Makhubela’s deep, resonant voice gives gravitas to the few men in the book with redeeming qualities.