The Joys of Motherhood (1979) is a historical fiction novel by Buchi Emecheta. Set in both rural and urban Nigerian locales over several decades, the novel explores changes in the roles and status of women against the backdrop of colonialism. It follows the life of Nnu Ego, a woman whose identity and self-worth are deeply intertwined with her role as a mother.

This guide is based on the 1990 George Braziller edition of the text. It follows the source text’s conventions for spelling certain proper nouns, such as using “Ibo” instead of “Igbo.”

Content Warning: The source text and this guide depict racism, sexism, enslavement, murder, child loss, domestic violence, and death by suicide.

Plot Summary

In the 1910s, Nwokocha Agbadi is a local chief in Ibuza, Nigeria. He has several wives as well as a lover, Ona, who refuses to become his wife since she wishes to preserve any male descendants for her father’s line. When Agbadi is injured while hunting, Ona nurses him back to health. Soon after, she gives birth to Agbadi’s daughter, Nnu Ego, and moves in with Agbadi. However, she dies not long after during a second pregnancy.

When Nnu Ego is 16, Agbadi arranges for her to marry Amatokwu, a local farmer. Nnu Ego fails to conceive a child, leading Amatokwu to take a second wife, who soon becomes pregnant. When he catches Nnu Ego breastfeeding the second wife’s baby, Amatokwu sends Nnu Ego back to Agbadi, effectively ending their marriage.

Agbadi then arranges for Nnu Ego to marry Nnaife Owulum, who works as a domestic servant for Dr. and Mrs. Meers, a British couple, in the city of Lagos. Although she is not impressed by Nnaife’s appearance or his work, Nnu Ego is pleased when she gives birth to a son, Ngozi. However, Ngozi dies suddenly a few months later. Grief-stricken, Nnu Ego runs from her home and prepares to jump off a bridge; only the timely appearance of a friend stops her from doing so.

Soon after, Nnu Ego gives birth to a second son, Oshia. In 1939, as World War II breaks out, the Meers return to England, leaving Nnaife unemployed; Nnu Ego manages to make a meager income by selling cigarettes and other wares. Eventually, Nnaife finds a job on a ship, which entails setting out on a months-long voyage. While he is gone, Nnu Ego gives birth to another boy, Adim. Lacking the money to offer her children a varied diet, Nnu Ego is horrified when Oshia narrowly avoids dying of malnourishment; donations of food from their friends and neighbors help him recover.

After Nnaife returns, he remains unemployed for several months and spends most of his time drinking and playing the guitar. When his older brother dies, in keeping with tradition, Nnaife inherits his wives. One of them, Adaku, comes to live with him in Lagos, to Nnu Ego’s annoyance. Around the same time, Nnaife begins working as a grass cutter for the railway. Soon, Nnu Ego gives birth to twin girls, Taiwo and Kehinde. Adaku gives birth to a son, whose death leaves Adaku depressed.

In an attempt to grow their military power, the British colonists in Nigeria begin abducting and drafting Nigerian men into the military. Nnaife is one of them, and he is sent to India. Nnu Ego returns to Ibuza, where she visits her dying father before giving birth to a son, Nnamdio.

Back in Lagos, Nnu Ego becomes jealous of Adaku, who runs a profitable stall in the market, and she mistreats Adaku to assert her superiority. When Adaku protests, she is reprimanded by the community for criticizing Nnu Ego, who is entitled to her behavior because of her role as a senior wife. Frustrated by these social rules, Adaku decides to leave the family and take up sex work to put her two daughters through school.

As World War II concludes, Nnu Ego receives a backlog of letters from Nnaife, including payments. After Nnaife returns home, he travels to Ibuza to claim another of his brother’s wives as his own since Adaku has deserted him. He instead returns to Lagos with a 16-year-old bride, Okpo, on whose bride price he has spent most of his war earnings.

As Nnu Ego and Okpo each give birth to more children, the family moves into a mud house. Oshia begins to attend a prestigious and expensive secondary school, while Adim continues his education at a cheaper local school.

In the 1950s, as Nnaife nears retirement, he becomes upset when Oshia announces his intention to study at a university in the United States instead of working to support the family. Meanwhile, Kehinde chooses to marry a man from another tribe, and Nnaife is sentenced to jail after he tries to kill that man’s father. He is released early on condition that he return to Ibuza rather than staying in Lagos. Blaming Nnu Ego for their children’s choices, Nnaife and his family distance themselves from her. Nnu Ego also returns to Ibuza, where she is disappointed when she never hears from her sons; she wonders about the purpose and meaning of her life. She dies alone, by the side of the road, and all her children return to Ibuza to throw an elaborate funeral for her.