Title: The Girl With The Louding Voice
Author: Abi Dare
Published By: Sceptre, an Imprint of Holder & Stroughton
Release Date: 2020
Genre: Coming-of-age, Fiction, Bildungsroman
Format: Paperback
Length: 312 pages
Synopsis
Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian Girl who knows what she wants: an education.
As the only daughter of a broke father, she is a valuable commodity. Removed from school and sold as a third wife to an old man, Adunni’s life amounts to this: four goats, two bags of rice, some chickens and a new TV. When unspeakable tragedy swiftly strikes in her new home, she is secretly sold as a domestic servant to a household in the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where no one will talk about the strange disappearance of her predecessor, Rebecca. No one but Adunni…
As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife and a powerless servant, Adunni is repeatedly told that she is nothing. But Adunni won’t be silenced. She is determined to find her voice- in a whisper, in song, in broken English- until she can speak for herself, for the girls like Rebecca, who came before, and for all the girls who will follow.
Review
This book was a lovely read for me. As a Nigerian, I could totally relate to the deep themes inherent in the book which were explored beautifully.
It was very warm and heart-felt and with a powerful message!
I loved the plot and the sequence of events as told in the book and felt it was a great effort. I also loved the writing style and the fact that the first part was written in broken english and the first person POV (even if that required some level of patience on my part as I speak broken english slowly). It was my first experience reading such a book.
All in all, a lovely read. A lovely ending but would have not been surprised if it ended another way because that is the reality in Nigeria when it comes to child abuse and child labour.
Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Rachel Eyo 