This reading group guide for The Nigerwife includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Vanessa Walters. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband; a palatial house in the heart of glittering Lagos, Nigeria; and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a dark family past behind for sunny, moneyed Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives—a community of foreign women married to wealthy Nigerian men.

But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called 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.

An inventively told and keenly observant thriller where nothing is as it seems, The Nigerwife offers a razor-sharp look at the bonds of family, the echoing consequences of secrets, and whether we can ever truly outrun our past.

Topics and Questions for Discussion

1. In the prologue, there is a clear contrast between Nicole’s home and the surrounding environment (the lagoon). Discuss how this foreshadows the importance of how appearances can differ from reality throughout the book.

2. Throughout the book, Tonye comes across as detached and threatening. Considering the other things his family is dealing with after Nicole’s disappearance, would you consider his actions normal, reasonable, or acceptable?

3. The Oruwaris keep the details of Nicole’s disappearance a secret to avoid social ramifications, thus hindering the investigation’s progress. How do you think class comes into play during the search for Nicole? Discuss the pros and cons associated with making the news public. Do you agree or disagree with the family’s choice? Claudine’s?

4. After an argument with Tonye, Claudine says she “let [Nicole] down.” Having learned about Claudine and Nicole’s past with Len, do you think her search for Nicole is motivated by guilt, love, or a mixture of both?

5. Nicole repeatedly expresses that no one cares about what she does and that she could spend the whole day in her pajamas. Do you think the Oruwaris ever liked Nicole? How do you think the Oruwaris would’ve handled the investigation (or lack thereof) into her disappearance if Claudine hadn’t shown up?

6. In chapter 14, we see a rare moment of solidarity between Nicole and the women of the Oruwari clan, when Mother-in-Law defends Nicole having a job and women needing things for themselves. What does this say about the hierarchies at play?

7. In chapter twenty, Nicole refers to Bilal as “just a driver.” Do you think Nicole, or anybody in the Oruwari house, treats the staff humanely? Discuss how a difference in the treatment of the staff could have prevented what happened to Nicole?

8. What do the Nigerwives’ reactions to the news that Nicole is missing say about their organization and what’s important to them?

9. Do you think Elias has unrealistic expectations of Nicole and their relationship? Do you feel he is using her the same way she is using him?

10. Chapter 13 opens, “Penny was laughing as she answered the phone.” Discuss the tensions prevalent in Nicole’s family, their roots, and the lasting effects on their relationships.

11. Although she was estranged from her niece, Claudine still travels all the way to Nigeria to look for Nicole, while the rest of her family stays in London. What does this say about the true strength of their relationship?

12. Nicole’s loss of self-identity after becoming a mother is very important to the story. Discuss the ways in which her affair with Elias helps her rediscover who she is. Do you think there is anything else Nicole could have done to find herself? Would things be different if she’d had the affair with Yohanna?

13. Kemi acts as Nicole’s voice of reason. After discovering that Kemi had been sleeping with Tonye, do you think she had ulterior motives when inviting Nicole on the boat?

14. Nicole was planning on going home, and she was contemplating contacting Claudine. What does this say about her personal growth during the affair?

15. Discuss the parallels between what Claudine observed at the Mobee Royal Family Original Slave Relics Museum and the epilogue. Discuss how you might continue the story line.

Enhance Your Book Club

1. The short film Honeymoon, by award-winning director Amy Aniobi, explores a modern-day Nigerian couple’s first awkward day of marriage. Consider watching this with your group, and compare the themes about marriage in the film to those in the novel.

2. There are plenty of Nigerian/West African neighborhoods across the United States. See if there are any near you and explore, or find a Nigerian restaurant in your area and try the cuisine!

3. A body floats ignored in the lagoon at the start of the novel, and the same situation occurs several times throughout the book; there's a parallel in the way people treat the environment and how they treat each other. The village community that recycles the trash saves Nicole from drowning in the end. Consider organizing a shoreside cleanup at your nearest beach, pond, river, or lake.

4. Claudine is often reminded that she does not understand Nigerian culture and traditions. Her interference threatens the Oruwaris plans and life, specifically the upcoming wedding. In your reading group, compare the dynamics of the traditional Oruwari marriage versus traditional Western marriages.

A Conversation with Vanessa Walters

Tell us about your inspiration for the novel.

The Nigerwife was inspired by the incredibly thrilling city of Lagos, which has a rich history and a diverse population. It’s a place to which all sorts of people gravitate to seek their fortune, and inside that tension between success and failure, wealth and deprivation, optimism and despair, everyone has a story to tell. Mine happens to be about a Nigerwife because that’s the community I inhabited.

What do you hope readers take away from reading The Nigerwife and your body of work?

As well as enjoying and learning about Lagos, I hope the readers see that all the characters are flawed and all are worthy of empathy. So are we.

Did you have a favorite character to write? If so, who and why?

My favorite character may be Tonye. He was an enjoyable exploration of the maleness that is so rewarded in Nigeria’s patriarchal society but also burdened by it. Additionally, whereas Nicole’s arc is somewhat completed within the novel, Tonye’s remains tantalizingly unfinished. I still find myself wondering what Tonye will do next, whether he will heal his generational trauma or simply shunt it onto his children. It feels important to know.

Nicole leaves behind the only country and family she’s ever known, then continues to make sacrifices as a wife and mother that ultimately cause her to lose herself. Do you believe that it is possible for women to find balance in these roles? Do you have any advice for women in similar situations?

My recent research has shown me that Nicole’s experience of loss of self is not at all special to Nigerwives. It’s common for women to struggle to adjust across cultures, especially when they move to a more patriarchal society. And the pressure is mostly on our gender to fit in and be agreeable. I’ve been through some of it myself, and writing this story was a very validating process. The advice Imani gives Nicole, to trust herself in an unhappy situation and do what she can to get out of it safely, is the same I would give anyone in trouble.

Is there anything you miss about Nigeria or any place that you think travelers should try visit if they get the chance to go?

I particularly miss the people of Lagos. Lagos attracts a gregarious sort of person with a belief in something bigger than themself, which makes them interesting. I also miss the weddings in Lagos, because the wedding is at the heart of Nigerian life. This huge, wildly expensive event is the culmination of a parental dream, part of the spiritual identity of the family. It establishes the social circle, demonstrates social status, and is a key event where important connections are made and cemented. But even without the weddings, Lagos has much to offer, especially these days, with plenty of new restaurants, social events, art, and great beaches.

Is there anything you can tell us about the HBO development of The Nigerwife?

The HBO development is spearheaded by Amy Aniobi, the producer/writer of Insecure, the critically acclaimed HBO show starring Issa Rae, and the plan is to develop an ongoing television series based on The Nigerwife. Something epic and nuanced.

Your first YA novel, Rude Girls, was published when you were a student. How do you think you’ve grown as a writer? Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I don’t know how much you grow as a writer. You might understand the craft better, but essentially the writer is the person, and I’m the same person as I was at sixteen now that I’m in my forties. I only have more to say because I’ve lived and hopefully more awareness of how what I say will be received.

You’ve written in a few different mediums—playwriting (shorts and full lengths), fiction—do you prefer one over the other? If so, why?

Being able to bounce between mediums is creatively stimulating for me. I enjoy the freedom of writing prose but relish the technical challenges of writing scripts for plays and TV. However, the payoff is different. Plays are enjoyed and mostly forgotten. TV is well-paid but no one remembers the writer of a TV show or movie. Books have more acknowledgment for the writer, I think, and ultimately give more long-term satisfaction.

Do you have a next project in mind? And, if so, can you tell us anything about it?

I have several books to write! I’m very inspired by places, and my next few books are inspired by New York, where I currently live. I may still write about Lagos. I’d love to revisit the characters of The Nigerwife. Let me know if you also want to know what Tonye does next!