No sugar-coating in ‘Nearly All Men in Lagos are Mad’

The author of this book really gave us this glorious title, and then decided to truly bring the evidence in hilarious tale after tale.

‘Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad’ is a short story collection, consisting of 12 stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, that tell the stories of different women and their experiences with men – “mad” men, that is.

The collection was written by Nigerian author and actress Damilare Kuku, and was published by Masobe Books in 2021.

Each story highlights how complex not only the people of Lagos are, but also the situations these people find themselves in. Themes that weave the stories together include love, friendship, sex, heartbreak, deceit and infidelity, all generally relatable, which is what the author seemed to be going for.

“One of the aims of my work as a creative artist is bringing human beings closer, especially women,” Kuku told OkayAfrica.

“Because women need to know that whatever they are going through, they are not alone. There are other people with the same thing happening to them.”

And while we are not all a pastor’s wife defending her husband against allegations, we have all dealt with the love, disappointment and hurt so colourfully portrayed in ‘Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad’.

The majority of the stories are told in the second person, and while this is a narrative style that can come across as tiresome if not done right, it perfectly aids Kuku in having her writing come across as relatable.

A part of the colourful storytelling is the humour and varying levels of shocking twists throughout the stories. Even the last story, which has a much heavier theme, has a somewhat humorous, yet satisfying, ending.

From the unhinged opening line of “One night, you will calmly put a knife to your husband’s penis and promise to cut it off”, you know you are in for a treat – and no sugar-coating of the raw realities of life.

“If I pass judgement as a writer, I’m not doing my job telling the story. It is left to the readers to make with it what they will,” Kuku says about the sexual behaviours of her characters.

Kuku told OkayAfrica she had to warn her mother before reading the book.

“She says the sex talk is a bit too much for her. But I feel like it’s a normal phenomenon; young people living in Lagos are having sex, so why sugar-coat it?” she says.

The more I think about this collection – how cohesive it was with its compelling characters – the more I think it might make my top ten list for the year.

I read ‘Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad’ with a book club, and it has to be said that reading such a book with other women, allowing us to discuss the realities of dating and romance in Windhoek, enhances the entire experience.

While there might be some differences, there are also striking similarities, which again highlights the relatability factor Kuku was going for.

‘Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad’ is an engaging, entertaining read that emphasises the ridiculousness of dating, of relationships and of trying to find romance in a dynamic African city.