Hafsatu Bebi: A story about identity and loss

by Fatima Bala

Hafsatu Gaya’s life is seemingly perfect. A blossoming career in design, a relationship with one of Abuja’s most eligible bachelors and parents whose marriage seems solid. It all starts to fall apart, secret after secret, and she is left holding onto shards of long-buried secrets and unforgivable betrayals


Sadiq is a man with a dark past and darker humor. When complexities bring a whirlpool of love that can't be tamed into his life, fate vows to pull them apart. Can they stand strong against the tides of destiny and sins of the past?


"If everything is preordained, then aren't the choices we make daily just setting the stones into the grand stage of our fated destinies? Is free will not part of an already written script that we unknowingly act out even in our rebellion?"

Underneath all, this is a story of two women, unconnected yet related. Birthed in the same society, while facing different realities, they struggle to balance ugly truths and well-intentioned sins. When it all comes crashing down, leading to loss of self and identity crises, truths they fought so hard to hide become revealed. Can they recognize themselves now that the masks are off?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Love, Adult, Family, African Literature, Africa

Paperback

First published July 17, 2023

About the author

Fatima Bala is a lecturer, poet, and writer who lives in Canada with her family and a pet fish named Fishy. Her books have received starred reviews from The Los Angeles Tribune, London Post, and New York Weekly. She graduated from Algonquin College, Vancouver Island University, and Stanford, where she studied Tourism, Business Management, and International Women's Rights. She loves traveling, playing board games, and watching movies with unanticipated twists.

Her Instagram account is @aka.fatima.bala

Reviews

[Oriental Fairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: My reviews are 9/10 times laced with sarcasm. Don't take them too seriously.

My second book from this author. I could not easily put the pieces together and predict how the plot was going to unfold, that is a tell-tale sign of the good storytelling in this book. The story was intricately written with keen attention to details.

I loved the juxtapose of the two love stories from different eras. I don't usually like books with multiple POVs as they tend to be chaotic, but the execution in this book was handled expertly. The POVs meshed well together while giving you a comprehensive perspective from all the main characters. I also loved how the writer sets the scenes to transport us into how life was in 90s Arewa( Northern Nigeria).

The lessons I learnt from this book:
1. ALWAYS ask for any potential suitor's first name, middlename and lastname on the very first date and run a thorough background check. E get why.



2. Karma is cyclic, one way or the other you MUST pay that debt. For Ibrahim & Zuwaira, karma came knocking on their child's door. For poor Abu-Abu, he broke the bro-code and snagged his friend's girl( even though the friend was a philandering he-goat), but she ended up being his sister💀. Maybe if he had gone and found his own girl instead of meddling in other people’s relationship😒, his story might have been different. Bonus lesson: It ALWAYS pays to be a good friend 🫠.


3. Not all love stories have a happy ending. Some are just there to serve you breakfast with a side of premium tears.

4. Your final sign to evacuate a polygamous household is when you find a dead bird with juju tied to its leg on your doorstep. Come on Zuwaira DPMO! She is a stronger woman than me. My bags woulda been packed and ready to go back to the uncle’s house that same day. I don’t CARE whether your uncle’s wife was Cinderella’s stepmom herself! A lil house chores never kill nobody. You see Juju on the other hand ? Thou shalt not meddle with elements of the spirit realm!!!



5. EVERYBODY has a redflag... or flaws if you may. Nobody is perfect. Sadiq's character was portrayed as iron clad up to a point but honestly, I was just waiting for the shoe to drop. For my color blind sisters, let me teach you how to spot them. You see when he started justifying lusting and going after a girl your friend has already claimed, I just knew there was something iffy about that fella.

Ex or not, there are cardinal rules about these things. He was good enough to be your business partner and hang out with but now that his girl has entered your eye all of a sudden Bashir is the bad guy. Its giving self righteous.

Their relationship was NONE OF HIS BUSINESS. Don’t get me wrong, Bashir as a boyfriend was horrible 🤮. But that’s beside the point. The only reason he even picked up interest in how Bashir was maltreating Hafsatu was because he wanted her alllll to his greedy self. 😒

And then when he lost his temper and HIT the wall right next to her head ???? I SCREAMED I KNEW IT. That's how the cycle of abuse always starts.

Any man that pulls that stunt on me would not have to worry about me anymore because I'll be GONE love. GOOD DAY SIR. I am not sticking around to find out whether or not it was a one time lapse of judgement.



Unpopular opinion: BROTHER or not, I think Hafsatu lowkey dodged a bullet with Sadiq. Wipe those tears love, you don’t wanna deal with all that baggage 🧳; TRUST ME.

Nobody has such a traumatic childhood and grows up to be a full functioning adult. I mean when we left him as a boy he was 5 and still not talking. A lot is going on under the hood. Good thing he is in therapy.

Shout out to my favorite character Hajiya Uwa; Zuwaira's guardian angel in that hell hole. That old lady was gangsta. She was ready to deal with anyone and still have energy for a good old cigarette.

In a nutshell, a thoroughly enthralling read that takes you on an enjoyable ride through different timelines and POVs.

P.S. Dear author, for the next book, let’s skip the incest-adjacent plot twist, yeah? The vibes are giving déjà vu from Broken, and my emotional resilience is not infinite.

[s.tems · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book unsure of what to expect, and admittedly, I wasn’t anticipating enjoying it. But wow—this turned out to be brilliant! The strength of this novel lies in its execution and the author’s wonderful writing style. Without Fatima Bala’s skillful storytelling, a plot like this could easily have fallen flat.

Now that I’ve recovered from the heartbreak of Hafsatu and Sadiq not ending up together, I can see that Hafsatu dodged a bullet. When Sadiq punched the wall next to her, it became clear to me that he was still deeply affected by his abusive childhood. It’s hard to go through that kind of trauma and come out unscathed. This isn’t to say that healing isn’t possible, but I believe their relationship wouldn’t have worked, especially since both, but particularly Sadiq, have unresolved trauma.

All in all, this book was absolutely brilliant. It’s what I’d call a must-read!

[Yusra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing book by Fatima , I love how the story unfolded , Ibrahim and zuwaira's love story was so beautiful to read, couldn't get over it. I am eagerly waiting to see what this author writes next.

[umamah · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/5 stars for zuwaira and ibrahim’s love story that was beautiful crying

the rest of it … girl what was that 😄

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, much better than the author’s first book I read, Broken: Not a Halal Love Story. This story captivated me right from the start; once I began, it was nearly impossible to put down. It’s richly layered, well-written, and it was interesting to read about the Ringim-Dankabo dynasty, as well as Ibrahim and Zuwaira’s story.

Told in multi-POVs, with time jumps, this book explores themes of family sacrifice, domestic violence, and polygamy, shedding light on some difficult topics.

Zuwaira’s life was anything but easy. Orphaned young, she endured abuse from her uncles' wives and was eventually forced into marriage as the fourth wife of a wealthy and abusive man who literally beat her so hard, she miscarried her first pregnancy. Determined to avoid raising another child under his oppressive roof, she fled the village after a quick marriage to Ibrahim.

Her relationship with Ibrahim was one of my favorite aspects of the book. In my opinion, it was the true love story of this book. Ibrahim came into Zuwaira’s life when she needed him most, providing her (and eventually, their children) a life of love and security. Zuwaira was finally able to offer her children the privileges and comforts she had lacked herself growing up. Their bond was so incredibly sweet, safe and heartwarming.

I really did not expect Hafsatu’s story to end the way that it did. I felt so sad for her. None of what happened was her fault, but she still had to suffer such a profound heartbreak, one that left me feeling for her long after I closed the book.

Now if I had a dollar for every book written by this author where the main characters in love turned out to be related in some way, I’d have two dollars—not much, but enough that it’s weird.

Still, I’ll definitely be picking up the author’s next book, I quite like her storytelling.

[Umaymah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot believe I have been sleeping on this book for over a whole year. Like I am absolutely shocked!

A story of two women with a dark secret as the thread that connects them.
Zuwaira is an orphan who loses out on marrying the love of her life in the late 90's. Her story is a familiar one to anyone of a certain age in Northern Nigeria, orphaned, uneducated, exploited and married off with nothing to fall back upon should life get sour.
Hafsatu Bebi is born in privilege, the first child of a wealthy family whose parents dote on her, she is the epitome of what my friend @ihanne calls " 'ya'yan Daddy".
@aka.fatima.bala does such a great job describing this set of young people living the life in Abuja, I imagine this is what it must be like to read Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians...(On the tbr for 5 years now).
By the time I got to page 200 I was reading in fits and bursts because I didn't want the story to end.
Zuwaira and Ibrahim's love story is the stuff of dreams, Hafsatu's the stuff of nightmares. After several decades, the secret which must be exposed sets off a collision of the two women set apart by age and privilege. Tragedy unfolds, and spreads it's tentacles and I can't help but think how very often the things we insist on having by all means often turn out to be poisoned chalices.
There's a thread between what is fated and what we set in motion by our actions and inactions, and they are all fated. I'm confused too 😮 🤔

[Nusaiba]

Hafsatu bebi
Where do I even start from?
Honestly, the author outdid herself on this one.
Hafsatu bebi is a book that will keep you up all night, almost get you in trouble at work and also park your car by the side of the road, all because you want to know what happens next.
To me, I feel the book was about a girl who got thrown into the tests of life at a very young age, a world filled with vile, greedy, and hopeless people, even though a few turned out good, but yeah I know at some point she might have made some wrong decisions but honestly, she was young a naive, we all have to make mistakes to grow nothing is perfect, but thanks to her Prince Charming even though he kind of contributed to the mistake I also don’t blame him
At that point that was the only way he could have protected the only woman his heart truly loved for the sake of Allah.
I call this “A-happy-not-happy-ending” because…… well read it and find out why yourself 😂
My supporting characters also did well but nah not talking about the part where I used my own money to get my
Heartbroken 😂😂😂

[Hafsat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words to describe this book
At first I was confused, 4 povs? For what?
But then I got so immersed in Zuwaira and Ibrahim’s story, so beautiful, so heartbreaking, and I didn’t even realize they were Hafsatu’s parents until I was 60% into the book.
Ibrahim loved Zuwaira and that’s it, it was PURE LOVE!!!
For him to take her in, keep her secrets and love Hafsatu as his own? That was love.

And I’m glad Hafsat and Sadiq didn’t cross boundaries like Fa’iza and Ahmad from broken💀

At the back of my stupid mind, I was expecting some plot twit towards the end, maybe Sadiq was not Alhaji Ringim’s sob and then they’re free to get married 😪

Well, it was a 10/10 book tbh, I loved everything about it.

[Ayomide · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing I would like to mention concerning this book is the improper replacement of half sibling with step sibling. I’m sorry but it bothered me so much…. A step sibling is a sibling with whom share no biological parentage with while an half sibling is one with whom you share one parent. Also I can’t help but get the ick with incest being a recurring theme in this authors books. What do you mean the first book what about milk siblings who didn’t turn out to be milk siblings by the end and now I’m reading about Half siblings who are actually half siblings though they don’t end up together. I couldn’t help but get the ick I’m sorry. Asides that I think I learnt so much in terms of Islam as a religion and about Northern culture as well.

[Zeed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I discovered this author recently, and I adored her first book, but I am a little disappointed by this one… I don’t understand why she had the same plot as Broken, but somehow, it was even worse?! I guess the outcome changed here, but still, the premise is the same?! The book is very well written, and Ibrahim and Zuwaira’s story is just too beautiful—I loved them! But everything about Hafsatu and Sadiq was an unnecessary mess, in my opinion.

PS: Fa’iza and Ahmad’s appearance healed me!

[Fatima Garba Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the emotional depth of Ibrahim and Zuwair’s relationship, but the book's predictability and similarity to the author's previous work made it feel less original.

[Rengiful_kelebek · Rating 3 out of 5]

What did you say 'bout my brother?
That's not a stray, that's my brother
You stay away from my brother
'Cause I say so
Iykyk 😭😭🌚

[ambersometimesreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book not knowing what to expect and was so pleasantly surprised. This may be one of my favorite books of the year. This book follows 4 people, Zuwaira, Ibrahim, Hafsatu, and Sadiq. In the late 1990s, Zuwaira has had a tough life and meets a boy Ibrahim. He isn't from the most wealthy family so he knows he wouldn't have a chance with her. This doesn't stop them from trying to talk though. She's usually hanging clothes on the clothes line or washing clothes, where Ibrahim sees her and they exchange some words. They eventually start talking way more until she unexpectedly gets an arranged marriage and he doesn't see her again. He goes on to pursue being a doctor. She ended up in a abusive marriage where she falls pregnant. Not wanting to tell anyone for the fear of her husband taking the kid away, she keeps it a secret. One day after getting hit by her husband, she is rushed to the hospital. This happens to be the hospital Ibrahim works at. He notices the bruises on her neck but she doesn't speak to him. She goes and stays with her aunt again while in a divorce with her husband and around this time, this is where Ibrahim is living too. He finds out about her predicament and they make plans to run away together and raise the child, even tho it's not legally allowed. In alternating chapters, this book also follows Hafsatu and Sadiq. Hafsatu finds her boyfriend cheating on her and then starts to get close to Sadiq. Their relationship ends up getting VERY complicated and there are a lot of twists I didn't see coming. I was so bad but happy at the end of the book. 4.5-5 star read for sure

[Ivy Mukabwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly love books that center women, and it’s always a bonus when they get the happy endings they deserve. This book is beautifully multifaceted. So often, we see women portrayed through the lens of patriarchy—but this story flips the script and does it beautifully.

The last quarter of the book completely sneaked up on me—I didn’t see any of it coming! The way the two parallel stories wove together at the end was incredibly satisfying.
I especially loved the tenderness in Ibrahim’s love for Zuraiyah, and Hafsatu’s realization about her parents moved me deeply. It reminded me how important it is to see our parents not just as caregivers, but as human beings with their own struggles, dreams, and regrets.

[ernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the highest expectations for this book especially since I adored Broken. Unfortunately, this did not quite meet my demands or offer me another form of excitement as replacement. I was simply reading because I had the book in my hands, not because I was particularly interested in the story.

We follow Hafsatu Gaya, a child with a lot of ancestry trauma around her. My biggest ick with this book happens to, in fact, be Hafsatu, the stubborn and strong-willed girl who jumped to every conclusion known to man. At some point, I wanted to create a small acknowledgements section for her just to applaud her insane talent of jumping into conclusions and wild assumptions. She infuriated me beyond what words can describe to you. And for being a main character, that says a lot about the book's staying power imo.

I adored her mother, Umm'Hafsa or Zuwaira. I enjoyed her own side of the story along with Ibrahim's. I partially found Sadiq alright, but overall, a lot of the characters felt extremely stale and one dimensional to me. I barely resonated with any of them. And for a book that is character-focused... Honey. Don't even get me started on the excessive telling and descriptive writing style that was predominant in this book, as opposed to solid showing and narrative that grabs reader's attention more.

I wouldn't read this again, sadly. The end was supposed to be a tearjerker because Hafsatu and Sadiq didn't get their happy ever after, but I found myself meh-ing it in and out of the experience. 3 out of 5 on a good day, 2 out of 5 if I really want to be angry about it. Not even close to Fatima's best work.

[Sainey Ceesay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved her book Broken, so this one disappointed me a little bit. I loved Ibrahim and Zuwaira’s love story. It’s one a lot of people can learn from. I just feel like Hafsat and Sadiq’s story was…unnecessary? For lack of better words. Also, once I saw where the story was headed it felt like a repeat of Broken. I felt like I read the same story twice in a sense. The book also could’ve been a little shorter. There was a lot of fluff and unimportant scenes.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It hurts my heart to give this 4 stars, but it was a great, well written story. I made the mistake of thinking this was a romance novel, it is absolutely not. I read Broken first, so even though I was frustrated by the path Hafsatu and Sadiq’s story was going, I thought it would come full circle. It did not. Sigh.

Fatima Bala writes less common stories, in unique ways. This book covers 4 points of views and I was intrigued by them, and how they would come together, especially with the past/present vantage point. As it unfolded, it was a powerful and Beautiful story about love and how it can heal when true. The love story I got isn’t the love story I expected (and i’m a bit salty) but it was a beautiful story nonetheless.

[Oluwatoyin Abike]

Interesting

[Leadinglady 818 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is a book!
Ibrahim!! A man after my own heart💝
Loved how realistic the ending was, not all love stories end up happily sometimes love is not enough

[Mardhiya M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOOOVVVEE THIS BOOK.
I know a good book when I see one, and I’m definitely someone that would judge a book by its cover and this was exactly what happened when I saw the book cover of Hafsatu Bebi. It simply wasn’t the normal, mediocre and very cliche, cringey Wattpad novel. Hafsatu Bebi is simply amazing and different.
I loved Zuwairas quiet and alluring nature, then her beauty is one that just made her all the more beguiling. Then Ibrabim *swoon*. Ibrahim is honestly not the ordinary man you find on the streets of Wattpad. Ibrahim is built differently. Ibrahim’s love, care, compassion and responsibile attitude added to his charms and aura.
I love Hafsatu. Her fiesty yet subtle attitude made her all the more beautiful. I loved her responsible attitude but definitely didn’t like her attitude towards her mom.
Then Sadiq. Sadiq is your typical arewa boy roaming the streets of Abuja but there’s only one thing that makes him stand out and that’s how responsible he carries himself, both in his business, relating with his family especially his step mother just adds to his charm. Both he and Hafsatu really did seem like the ideal soft-life advocate couple which I was rooting for until I was taken off guard
The spin-off in this book really did take me off guard ( I need compensation for this).
Never in a million years did I see that Hafsa and Sadiq would be related in the nearest way possible. It was really so heartbreaking seeing that sooo many lives and soo many hearts where broken simply because of one person’s misdeeds which is Zuwairas first husband.
From the diction to the switch of language, from the characters to how the scenes were easily switched really stood out for me.
I can honestly count how many Arewa writers are good , but the author of Hafsatu Bebi is amazing. Her writing skills are simply wonderful, very commendable. It’s really astounding how well she’s written Hafsatu Bebi and Broken. I definitely can not wait for her other books.
I love everything about this book except for the spin-off and suspense 😭
This book is really amazing.

[Adu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/4.5 stars - soooo good!!
It took me a while to understand how all the characters were interlinked, and I think it’s a sign of good writing. All the characters were well-developed, flawed but human. Also really enjoyed learning about different Islamic laws.

[Yasmeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hafsatu Bebi is not your normal wattpad story. This story is not about the love story of hafsatu but rather her mothers love story. I did not see the plot twist coming. It wasn’t that the signs were not there, it was the fact that I was soo hooked on shipping sadeeq and Hafsatu to see it coming.
Hafsatu’s mom zuwaira was in a forced marriage which led to the birth of hafsatu, at that point no one knew that the baby was from her former marriage because by the time they were told about the birth zuwaira was married to Ibrahim who loved her since from the beginning. I loved how they grew up together. Ibrahim was the most caring person, he held zuwaira’s hand taught her what she had to know and she was always there to support him. It’s really a long story so you all don’t expect me to tell you all right?
Anyways I loved the book and I loved how things ended up even though it wasn’t the way we all wanted it to end but I guess it was the best way the author could have ended it.

[Amieyyyna]

Wow

[Halima Shaibu · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this book kept me hooked will be an understatement. This book owned me for the few hours I read it. The writing is amazing. Fatima Bala has mastered the art of “show not tell”. The was she walked us through their lives, made us feel all their emotions, the anger, the anxiety, the love. I loved all 4 characters, and how they were written so differently yet so beautifully.
Fatima Bala is a WRITER!!! That’s it.

[Princess ♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

******Spoilers ahead******



I enjoyed reading this so much. I didn’t want to read it initially because my friend told me it would make me sad (I hate sad stories) but I couldn’t put the book down after I started reading it. I stayed up all night, fell asleep while reading and woke up and continued reading (not an exaggeration).

I loved the writing and how easy it was to follow the story. I loved the fact that I didn’t connect the dots until the right moment. I really enjoyed broken too and I’m actually looking forward to the next book by the author.

I loveeeeee Ibrahim and Zuwaira’s love story 😭 I’ll also love to have my own Ibrahim. Seriously where do you get men like Ibrahim?? He’s my favorite character in the book. I loved how gentle he always was with Zuwaira, how patient and understanding and affectionate he was with her after all they’ve been through.

The book was triggering at times and I wish the author included a trigger warning.

I have a list of characters I want to fight. Bashir come out!!! 😤😤

The only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because I was so emotionally invested in Sadiq and Bebi’s relationship only for my heart to get broken like that. Also what’s with the sibling-incestuous relationship thingy? I hope the next book has a different storyline.

[Chidera Uzowulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second book from this author and I must say fatima bala is really good at what she does. This book was so good and I could not tell were the plot was heading till I was about eighty percent into the book. The book has multiple pov but I must say they all blended seamlessly to tell an amazing story..this book is also a reminder that KARMA will catch up to you in whatever you do..I don't know if it was really karma in this case but everybody got a fair dose of it and again the book is a clear indication that not everyone is prefect and that every story does not necessarily need to have a happy ending to be a good one. Take your flowers fatima bala 🙌💐

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

The plot was good but the execution left a lot to be desired - typos, grammatical errors, and overly pedantic writing. It doesn't seem to me that this book was reviewed by a professional editor. This is a shame as the novel had potential.

[Keely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay I’m sorry I have to give this book a one star for the incest. I did not see that coming at all… I was waiting for the jk they actually killed his mom because she was with someone outside of marriage, but nope just a half-brother fantasizing about his half-sister…..

[Temi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! I thought I liked Broken then I read this🤯….all I have to say is WHAT THE HECK?!?!😭😩
The man Ibrahim is>>>>>>>
Also, I’ve really enjoyed learning about the depths of culture and faith through Fatima Bala’s books
This easily is one of the best books I’ve read this year!

[ambersometimesreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️'s.