Fiction.African&AfricanAmericanStudies.TranslatedfromtheHausabyAliyuKamal.Beginninginthelate1980s,northernNigeriasawaboominpopularfictionwrittenintheHausalanguage.Knownaslittattafansoyyaya("loveliterature"),thebooksareofteninspiredbyHindifilms,whichhavebeenhugelypopularamongHausaspeakersfordecadesandareprimarilywrittenbywomen.Theyhavesparkedacrazeamongyoungadultreadersaswellasabacklashfromgovernmentcensorsandbook-burningconservatives.SINISAPUPPYTHATFOLLOWSYOUHOMEisanIslamicsoapoperacompletewithpolygamoushouseholds,virtuouswomen,schemingharlots,andblackmagic.

"Utterlyaddictive...Themaincharacter'splightwassoabysmalandherhusbandwassuchalowdowna$$,Iwassurethatbytheendofthestory,he'dgethisandIwantedtobetheretoseeit...WouldIreadmorebythisauthor?Heckyeah"--NnediOkarafor

"BlaftreferstoSinisaPuppyasakindof"Islamicsoapopera",andthatisn'tfaroffthemark.BalaramaRamatYakubu'sslim,fast-pacednovelcentresonRabi,thelong-sufferingwifeofoneadulterousandwaywardAlhajiAbdu.RabiandAlhajiAbdu'selderdaughter,Saudatu,ofmarriageableageandexcellent,virtuousdisposition,isacentralcharacterinasecondarystorylinethatconvergeswiththemain.Althoughonedoesnotwanttogiveawaytheplot,sufficeittosaythatthetrajectoryofthenovel'snarrativewillbefamiliartothosewhohavewatchedHindiromancefilms,justwithatwist...Blaft'sforayintoNigerianpopularliteratureisanintriguing,excitingproject"--SubashiniNavaratnam

"Letusgetthemultiplemeta-textualreasonsforcelebratingthisbookoutoftheway;itisaHausa(Muslim,Black,Nigerian,African)womanwritingforherpeers,madeaccessibletousbydesipublisherswhofindaglossarytoberedundant.KudosallroundButwhatdidIactuallythinkaboutthestoryofawoman(temporarily)leavingherabusivehusbandwhileherdaughterfindsasuitableboy(orrather,twicemarriedman)?Dearreader,Iwasrathercharmedbyit...Itisnotheartwarminginthetreaclymannerofpopularfilms,butinstead,likethefamilyhistoriesyourauntiestellyou,fullofcompromisesandsmalljustices,andthe"lifegoeson"approachtodomestictragedy.ThisisnotastoryofexoticAfrica,norofepochalmomentsinhistoriesofcolonialismanditsaftermath,noryetaboutthefetishizedtensionsofbeingMuslim.Instead,itisshopkeepersfallinginlovewithwomenstoppingtobuydressmaterial,andmothersvacillatingbetweenthestreetbeingunsafeandbeingagoodplacetomeeteligiblemen,andboredwiveseyeingcomelyelectricianssummonedtofixthewiring.Letotherbookstalkaboutpurdahandpolygamy;thisisabookthatconcernsitselfwithsoap"--DeepaDharmadhikari