Chapter 61: Falodun Family Curse Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Chapter Summary
The chapter introduces Bunmi, a descendant of Feranmi—the original woman said to be cursed—through a long maternal and paternal line. Bunmi believes she has beaten the curse by marrying a handsome, wealthy man and quickly producing two children, with her firstborn being a son. She is acutely aware of the curse's threat to her marriage, so she works tirelessly to be the perfect wife: cooking, cleaning, deferring to her husband, never raising her voice, and following him when he moves abroad to London. There she endures a cold climate, cold neighbours, and loneliness. She consciously ignores signs of his infidelity—perfume, lipstick, condoms—because she does not expect fidelity as long as her position as wife remains secure. She believes her domestic labour and submission will keep her safe.
Her strategy collapses when her husband falls in love with one of his mistresses, a Nigerian woman raised in Britain who speaks with a clipped accent. Bunmi is stunned because she was never told he wanted a different kind of woman; she insists she would have changed everything about herself—her wardrobe, her job, her demeanour—if he had asked. The other woman, described as an “independent woman,” teases him and sometimes ignores his calls, even dating other men openly. The husband tells Bunmi he will give the other woman a month to “sort herself out,” implying his intention to leave Bunmi for this new love. With no other option, Bunmi and her children move back to Nigeria. She concludes that she tried to beat the curse, but the curse won.
Key Events
- Bunmi is introduced as a direct descendant of the cursed Feranmi, tracing her lineage through Afoke, Kunle, Tobi, Yemisi, Wemimo, and Feranmi.
- She marries a handsome, wealthy man and has two children, the first a son.
- Aware of the family curse, she adopts a submissive role: she cooks, cleans, defers to her husband, never raises her voice, and follows him to London.
- In London, she tolerates isolation, cold weather, and her husband's late nights and infidelity.
- She discovers signs of other women (perfume, lipstick, condoms) but deliberately looks away.
- Her husband announces he is in love with another woman—a British-raised Nigerian who does not conform to traditional expectations and dates other men.
- Bunmi realises she would have transformed herself if her husband had expressed dissatisfaction.
- The husband declares he will give the other woman a month to decide; Bunmi and the children are sent back to Nigeria.
- Bunmi acknowledges that her efforts to outrun the curse have failed.
Character Development
Bunmi: This chapter deepens Bunmi's portrait as a woman trapped by patriarchal expectations and the legacy of the curse. She is resourceful and perceptive—she knows about her husband's infidelity and consciously chooses to ignore it to preserve her marriage. Yet she also reveals a deep vulnerability: she believes her own identity is negotiable, willing to morph into whatever her husband wanted, had he only communicated. Her return to Nigeria marks a moment of defeat, but also a kind of clarity—she recognises the curse's persistence, though she does not yet rebel against it.
Bunmi's Husband: Remains unnamed, which underscores his role as an archetype of patriarchal power. He is wealthy and handsome, but also emotionally opaque. His decision to leave Bunmi for a woman who challenges him suggests a desire for excitement or control, not domestic comfort. He treats Bunmi as a dispensable part of his life, even after her years of service.
The Other Woman: Described only as an “independent woman” who speaks with a British accent and has never been to Nigeria. She represents a modern, Westernised femininity that contrasts with Bunmi's traditional submission. By dating other men while seeing the husband, she asserts a freedom that Bunmi never allowed herself.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Curse as Patriarchal Trap: The “Falodun Family Curse” is explicitly linked to women's inability to secure their marriages despite their best efforts. Bunmi's strict adherence to domestic duty does not protect her, suggesting the curse is a metaphor for systemic male privilege and the futility of female self-sacrifice.
- Performance of Wifehood: Bunmi treats marriage as a performance—cooking, deferring, silencing herself. The chapter highlights the emotional labour women perform and the way this labour is rendered invisible or worthless when a man chooses differently.
- Domestic vs. Independent Woman: The binary between the dutiful wife and the “independent woman” is explored. Bunmi’s husband claims to want an independent woman, yet he punishes his wife for not being one, revealing hypocrisy. The other woman’s independence is eroticised, not respected.
- London as Alienation: London symbolises displacement and silence. Bunmi endures cold neighbours and loneliness, reflecting her emotional isolation within the marriage.
- The Prologue Line of Descent: The chapter opens with a long genealogy, reinforcing the inescapable weight of history. Each name in the lineage carries the curse forward, making Bunmi’s story one of many.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 61 crystallises the novel’s central question: Can a woman escape a curse that is essentially patriarchal control? Bunmi does everything society tells her to do—she marries well, bears a son, submits, tolerates infidelity—and still loses everything. The chapter demonstrates that the curse is not supernatural; it is the institutionalised expectation that women must sacrifice their identities for men who will never be satisfied. This moment marks a turning point: Bunmi’s defeat may set the stage for later rebellion or resignation, but it solidifies the novel’s critique of marriage as a system that devours women.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Bunmi choose to ignore her husband's infidelity even though she knows about it?
Bunmi has internalised the curse's warning: she believes her marriage is secure as long as she remains the official wife. She tolerates the other women because she values her position, social standing, and children's future over emotional fidelity. Her choice reflects the limited options available to women in her cultural context, where a wife's worth is tied to her husband's status.
2. How does the description of the “independent woman” challenge Bunmi's understanding of marriage?
The independent woman is not submissive—she teases the husband, ignores his calls, and dates other men. Yet the husband falls in love with her precisely because she does not perform traditional wifehood. This contradiction forces Bunmi to realise that her years of sacrifice were not what her husband actually wanted; he was attracted to a woman who refuses to be owned. This reveals that the rules Bunmi followed were always arbitrary.
3. In what way does the genealogy at the start of the chapter reinforce the chapter's themes?
By tracing Bunmi’s lineage back to Feranmi, the novel emphasises that the curse is inherited across generations. Each woman before Bunmi also tried to navigate patriarchal expectations, and each one ultimately failed to secure lasting happiness. This framing removes the idea that Bunmi's failure is individual; it is systemic and historical, woven into her family identity.