Vanessa Walters’ The Nigerwife is the latest selection of the Good Morning America book club.
In Walters’ novel, published Tuesday by Atria, a British woman living with her Nigerian husband in Lagos suddenly goes missing after a boat trip. Her aunt Claudine travels to Nigeria, determined to find her. In a review of the novel, a critic for Kirkus wrote, “A surprising ending and well-done dialogue make this a perfectly good way to spend a night or two.”
GMA anchor Robin Roberts announced the novel’s selection on the morning show, saying, “Vanessa has a background in international journalism and playwriting, so she knows a thing or two about a story with a twist. HBO is adapting [The Nigerwife] as a limited series that’s described as White Lotus meets Big Little Lies.”
The HBO adaptation is being developed by Amy Aniobi, the head writer of the show Insecure; her producing credits include the series Lisa and Amy Are Black and 2 Dope Queens. Aniobi and Walters are among the adaptation’s executive producers.
The Good Morning America book club was launched in 2019. Previous selections have included Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, and Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
