Title: The Wealthy Men
Author: Adesuwa Ehinome Iluobe
Number of Pages: 450
Year of Publication: 2025
Category: Fiction
When men gather, their conversations take on a special flavor, let’s just call it adventurous. Yet, in fiction, we are far more accustomed to hearing what women talk about over drinks. Adesuwa Ehinome Iluobe’s The Wealthy Men flips this script boldly, offering a rare peek into how men think, talk, hurt, hide, and navigate their world. And trust me, it’s refreshing.
Ironically, though, one glance at the bright pink cover and you already know women will be the first to pick it up. How many men want to be seen holding a pink book? But those who do will be rewarded.
But beyond the cover lies a story that promises intrigue: wealthy men, their money, and their seemingly glamorous lives. Surprisingly, the novel veers into something deeper. Uncomfortable truths, complex choices, and emotional battles that even money can’t solve.
Iluobe is impressively generous with her storytelling. It feels like she gives you four novels in one, each part inspired by something meaningful and beautifully intertwined.
The characters are memorable. Funny, flawed, and wonderfully chaotic. There’s the single man secretly in love with his employee’s wife, the bold woman who refuses to return her ex-fiancé’s car, the overwhelmed young man carrying the weight of his entire family, Madame, who seems to know everything, is ever ready to help, yet somehow manages to annoy someone in the process and many more colourful characters. With so many altars to break and battles to fight, one thing becomes clear: the person seated highest often has the final say.
Very quickly, you start to question whether you truly envy the lives of these wealthy men. As it turns out, great wealth comes with great drama, though the book reassuringly shows that problems no matter how large can find their solutions.
The pacing is relentless. The author barely gives the reader time to breathe. Just when you finish the first part and think you’ve earned a short break, the second part erupts with brand-new complications, none resembling the ones before. The ride is fast, dramatic, and entertaining.
Themes of friendship, love, family expectations, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law tensions, infidelity, grief, and generational consequences run through the pages. The book subtly shows how our past can shape our future and even spill into the next generation.
The language is simple, which makes the book easy to read. However, while the book isn’t meant to be long, the author’s very detailed breakdown of conversations sometimes makes it feel longer than it should and a bit overwhelming in parts.
By the final pages of each part of the book, several characters find their own happy endings. And you begin to realise that you’ve probably met people just like them or even lived through similar situations yourself. Though fictional, The Wealthy Men mirrors real-life struggles, offering insight, comfort, and, in some cases, solutions.
A light, engaging, and thought-provoking read.
About the reviewer
Titilade Oyemade is a business executive in a leading organisation and holds a degree in Russian Language. She’s the convener of the Hangoutwithtee Ladies Event and the Publisher of Hangoutwithtee magazine. She spends her weekends attending women conferences, events and book readings. She loves to have fun and to help other women have the same in their lives. Email: titi.oyemade@gmail.com Social: @tiipreeofficial
