*This post has spoilers.*
The Polygamist, Netflix’s new series about a South African man with three wives and a side chick, is snatching everybody’s edges. Social media can’t stop talking about the drama.
The story follows wealthy businessman Jonasi Gomora and the drama between his wives and his mistress.
Jonasi is a hot mess. As one reviewer put it: “He’s misogynistic, and abusive and every terrible stereotype of badly behaved men you can think of.”
And the women are just as foolish as they are glamorous.
Joyce is the first wife. Together, they have three children.
Essie is the second wife Jonasi kept hidden from Joyce and everybody else. They also have a daughter together. While he has known Essie the longest (since they were kids), he visits them in secret, and the daughter cannot openly be loved by her father.
To keep Essie hidden, Jonasi’s brother pretends to be her husband the entire time. He basically puts his life on hold to keep up the facade.
Matipa is the side chick, turned third wife, who thought she was the second wife (cause remember, nobody knows Jonasi is married to Essie). Together, they have twin girls.
Also, it was Joyce who recommended Matipa’s upgrade to the status of a wife, hoping it would stop Jonasi from cheating.
Jonasi is not done. He eventually starts dating and having sex with his daughter’s friend, Lindani. It’s the same girl his son has a crush on.
And this is just a basic overview of the story that’s got everybody’s attention.
It’s like an African, more toxic version of Waiting to Exhale.
What people aren’t talking much about is that the book from which The Polygamist was adapted was first self-published.
Sukoluhle “Sue” Nyathi was born in Bulawayo, a city in southwest Zimbabwe, and self-published her debut novel in 2012 after being rejected by mainstream publishers.
While it took many years to reach your screen, the idea to turn it into a film came as early as 2013, just one year after the book was in print.
It was republished by Pan Macmillan South Africa in 2020, produced by Stained Glass Productions, and acquired by Netflix.
It became one of Netflix’s most-watched non-English series within weeks of its June release, trending across Africa, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. The story has also started online debates about poly relationships, multiple wives in the Bible, and whether or not Jonasi Gomora was a victim or villain. The author says:
“I just wanted to write a story that would get people talking about the uncomfortable things that, as a society, we tend to shove under the rug,” she said. “People are saying their fathers are like Jonasi, or they could see their moms in some of the women in the story. It just goes to show that, as a society, there is a lot of brokenness and we need healing.”
-Nyathi
Are People Still Surprised Self-Published Books Have Value?
Whenever a self-published book has a breakout moment, people act like it’s an animal they’ve never seen before, and major publishers rush in to claim the title as their own.
That a self-published book (messy as the storyline is) can do so well that it becomes a TV show is not surprising to those of us who already read, write, and enjoy independently published books.
I hope that self-published and Independent authors are encouraged to know that their work is valuable, with or without the validation of larger, mainstream publishers and platforms.
I am interested in reading the book to understand what the original storyline was like and how much, or how little, the adaptation drew from it.
The author notes that the changes didn’t take away from the original storyline.
We shall see…
The PBS Blog 