The Manual for Good Wives
The Manual for Good Wives is set both in the present day and in the last half of the 19th century, first in Nigeria and then in England.
Everything about this novel sounded intriguing. Temi, a young Black princess from Nigeria, is forced by her father to marry a much older and abusive man for political reasons. She escapes with the love of her life, Olu, whose tribe is at war with her own, and they work their passage on a ship to England where, despite racial barriers and other setbacks, they build a successful business. And then, gradually, things start to go wrong for Temi and she has to find a way to support herself and her daughter. As a Black woman in Victorian England, the only way she can do this is through a massive deception.
Interwoven through Temi’s story is that of her great-great-great granddaughter, Landri, a complex, high achieving woman living in London. Landri also escapes from a relationship and hides away in the cottage bequeathed to her by Temi. Here she finds Temi’s old notebook which helps her understand her ancestor – and herself.
This should have been a terrific read, but it is let down by the writing. Throughout the book, the author tells the reader what is happening through prose rather than moving the story along with more subtlety through dialogue – and what dialogue there is, is stilted and unnatural; because of this it is difficult to engage with the characters, who are themselves not consistent but change to suit the plotline. The book is billed as an historical novel, yet the reader is given little historical background to the story. There’s also so much potential for a richly painted sense of place, which is sadly lacking.
