Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad

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Albeit vividly describing women's experience with the dating scene in Lagos, we can map the events in this collection of short stories to the Swahili saying above and in any city for that matter, and we will have the same outcome. Again like all the books I read by Nigerian female authors, the book has a nice warm Nollywood feel. Almost two years later, Ugochukwu Ugonna’s ‘Who Drove Nearly All the Men in Lagos Mad’ hits the market.

From the story of a deceptive hookup girl to a woman who carries on wickedness from her teenage years into adulthood. My favourites were International relations, A Lovers Vendetta, Side Lined, Independence Day and Beard Gang - something about its crudeness, factuality and engagement was hooking. Short stories are always a good start to get off a reading slump or ease you out of the state that heavy books leave you in.

When the sexual content was repetitive (which can make you cringe at some point due to the raw descriptions), I asked myself if all what most men care about is their physical desires. A girl who drugs men to steal from them, a supposed virgin who cheats on her boyfriend with other men, a woman who hates her son and husband, and a Lagos big girl who cheats on her boyfriend with a ‘Yahoo boy’ who ends up cheating on her. Honestly, the collection wasn't as diverse as I wanted it to be- but then again, the title told us exactly what to expect. A player boy who gets tricked by an Instagram influencer but happens to find love in the most unexpected way and person. The forever downtrodden and humiliated wives/girlfriends take their revenge and we hear about all kinds of horrible things the men do.

This book is full of realistic, flesh and blood characters, crass descriptions and understandable motives. A beautiful, touching and heartbreaking collection short stories, that might ring true for many men in Lagos but are almost all relateable to me as an Indian woman too. Her debut collection of stories, Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, became a runaway bestseller in Africa upon its release in 2021, and was named the bestselling fiction title of 2022 in Nigeria, with international editions following in the UK (Swift Press), US (HarperVia) and Germany (Peter Hammer Verlag).The book shows us the type of men Lagos women encounter in the dating scene and how it usually ends. She masterfully skewers societal norms and exposes the ridiculousness lurking beneath the surface of everyday life.

I knew I was going to make it in life so I was okay with the many phases and curveballs life threw at. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

Although set in various parts of Lagos, the part about it being 'men' isn't quite true as the book shows. The stories are good (at least the ones I read) and the title definitely catchy but the fact that I wasn't warned about its sexual graphic/descriptive content still my biggest issue. Please note, we cannot guarantee these will be safe from any damage that may occur on their journey to you. More than half of the time, women are on the receiving end of bad decisions and selfish acts by men.