THREE WOMEN

In this domestic novel set in 20th-century Nigeria, Oyinsan tells the story of Oyinkan and Kole, their troubled marriage, and Oyinkan’s relationship with the grandmother who raised her and the mother who largely abandoned her.

In the book’s opening chapter, Oyinkan and Kole’s separation ends as they rush their son Moyo to the hospital after Kole accidentally injures him. The narrative then flashes back to Oyinkan’s childhood, growing up in her grandmother’s house. When her grandmother dies, Oyinkan is sent to live with her mother’s family, where she is treated as a distant relative because her half siblings have no idea they have a sister. Oyinkan falls in love with Kole and gives birth to Moyo soon after they marry, setting aside her own aspirations to work as a typist to care for her son. As Kole’s construction business grows, the couple’s marital tensions increase. Eventually, Oyinkan leaves him, moving into the house she inherited from her grandmother and starting a construction business of her own. Oyinkan finds her grandmother’s diary and learns about the complexities of the woman who raised her and the woman who gave birth to her, developing a more solid sense of herself in the process. Oyinsan is a strong writer, presenting a well-developed voice and inventive descriptions (“Her colors were the tones of gaiety, of vibrant youth, of laughter and life itself”). The diary sections, textual interludes in Oyinkan’s tale, are engrossing and effective, adding texture to the novel. The Nigerian setting is well imagined, full of Yoruba dialogue translated in footnotes. While readers may grow frustrated as Oyinkan and Kole’s home life becomes more and more dysfunctional, Oyinsan does a good job of rendering the entire cast as both plausible and sympathetic, delivering an ultimately satisfying resolution to the many conflicts that arise.

A solid, well-written novel of relationships and growth.