The Girl with the Louding Voice

The story of a courageous girl.
The Girl with the Louding Voice is about the courage of a Nigerian girl. I finished reading this on International Women’s Day, and this book tells a story of WHY we need such a day!

All Adunni wants is an education and a way out of the poverty that she was born in to. This dream however, seems to be brought to an abrupt end with the death of her mother. Adunni’s father has relied on his wife’s wages (he doesn’t seem to work) and has managed to rack up debts that he can’t pay off. So he sells 14 year old Adunni in to marriage with a man who is far older than her, who already has two wives. Adunni is supposed to swap her ambitions from education and a career, to bearing male children to a man she can’t bring herself to look at (and I don’t blame her). She has a horrible life, made marginally better by her friendship with the heavily pregnant second wife. However, Adunni tries to help the second wife see a midwife because of pregnancy complications and something goes very wrong. Adunni runs away, knowing that if she is caught, it could mean her death.

She then finds herself working at a house in the city as a house girl: she’s basically a slave, working from 5am to midnight, for no wages. Big Madam, her ‘employer’ beats her for the slightest things. Reading these scenes was upsetting - that a child should be treated in such a way, that she should be raped by a man who should never have married her (it IS illegal in Nigeria), and then be beaten to unconsciousness by her ‘owner’ (because without wages, surely that’s what Big Madam is?). And then there are Adunni’s saviours: the chef who lives and works in the house, and a neighbour who is a doctors wife, Tia.

This book will probably break your heart, but you’ll also marvel at the strength, perseverance and bravery of Adunni. She never gives up. She knows what she wants, and she grabs her opportunities where she can. This is a book that everyone should read - it’s really that good.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.

A wonderful powerful read, this should be required reading. Absolutely heartbreaking read about modern slavery , child marriage, abuse, it’s a hard read, but worthwhile and full of so much hope. It’s so well written with an amazing cast of characters, such strong women. A powerful insight into modern Nigeria and should be Made available in schools and libraries now ! Thoroughly recommended read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is a powerful message from a girl who is determined to be heard in the story. When Adunni's mother was dying, she made her father promise that Adunni would finish her education but he soon pulled her from school and at fourteen she is promised to be married to an old man. He already has two wives but is desperate for a son having already having one wife unable to have children and a second wife who has only given him two daughters.
Adunni's voice is of broken English, very understandable and easy to fall in with. She is a very strong character that learns quickly and knows how far she can push someone. It is heartbreaking the things the happen to her, especially when you know there are no laws to protect her. It is like is said in the book, slavery was abolished in 1833 but still, girls were being sold and bartered over, raped and abused openly.
Adunni doesn't just want a better life for herself she wants a better life for all the girls like her that are frighted to speak up. Not everyone is cruel but the girls are still bartered over and sold with no wages or possible chance to leave, get an education or choose a life for themselves.
This is an outstanding story, heartbreaking but hopefully, the louding voice will carry on getting louder. The voices that hear need to do more than listen though. A stunning debut novel. Very highly recommended.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

This book engages you from the very first page and barely lets you go at the end. It is an emotional rollercoaster. Set in recent times in modern Nigeria it tells the story of Adunni and her experiences as a women, being sold off into marriage at the tender age of 14 to a much older man who requires her to be his third wife and bearer of a son..The story tells of her daily life and its incredible hardships, with the lightest of touches. The goodness of Adunni is revealed in her relationships with others and her amazing powers to forgive. It is a story of enlightenment that is engrossing at all stages. A truly wonderful story that I want everyone to read..

What can I say?
I was pretty much blown away by this book.
It started with me wondering whether I could keep up with reading the account of the life of Adunni, a young Nigerian girl, born and brought up in a village, with the hope of an education.
Married off at fourteen, by her father, desperate for money, she dreams of the time she may be able to allow her own 'louding voice' be heard.
The book is written in the Niger way of speaking, using their pidgeon English, at the start, then, as Adunni's own learning grows, so does her voice and vocabulary.
I loved it so much that by the end, I was reading the whole thing in her voice, not thinking of the strangeness of some words.
Child marriage, death, sold into slavery, physical abuse, even the prospect of rape: she experiences so much, until she meets her own angels, who help her reach a destination she only ever dreamed of.
A novel filled with the hope of many young girls out there, especially in third world countries, denied the chance to educate, and better themselves.
GO ADUNNI!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a novel! Loved it. Loved the lead character Adduni so very much.
Growing up in a poor rural village in Nigeria Adduni dreams of an education. But after her mother dies, her poverty stricken father sells her, aged just 14, into a marriage with a much older man who already has two wives. Desperate to escape, and desperate to find her voice in the world she ends up trapped in modern slavery in a wealthy household in Lagos.
Brilliantly told, a cast of great strong characters, and a very powerful insight into Nigeria.
Highly recommend

Education equals louding voice, which in turn will enable Adunni to make decisions and speak for herself. It's what her mother always told her, but her mother is dead and Adunni has taken her place in the family. With a family to feed and rent to pay Adunni becomes the only commodity her father has, so he sells her to a local man. A third wife to be, her dreams wither and die.

Things come to a head and fourteen-year-old Adunni runs away and ends up in the hands of a scrupulous criminal who sells her into servitude. There she again works as an unpaid skivvy and is mistreated by her mistress. No matter where she turns there seems to be the same result.

At first she doesn't question the girls who have trodden in her footsteps before her, but there is something about the last girl that doesn't quite sit right. What really happened to Rebecca and is there something or someone Adunni should be afraid of?

One of the saddest and most poignant moments in the book is when you realise that the story of Adunni isn't set in the past. It's set in modern day Nigeria, and because of that it is absolutely heartbreaking. Her status as a girl means living as the subservient daughter, the obedient wife and lastly as the servant who is treated worse than a stray dog. Such is the life of her gender. No power, no choice and no voice.

I loved the use of language as a tool to show progress and oppression in the same breath. Daré keeps the entire story on the level of the teenage girl, and yet it simultaneously screams out the unfairness of the adulthood which has been forced upon her.

It's a contemporary cultural read - a strong reminder of the stark contrast of life for women outside of the high walls of Western civilisation.

The Girl With The Louding Voice is a debut novel rich in culture and has an amazing character, Adunni. It's written in the style of a rural Nigerian girl speaking in a very basic form of English which is quick and easy to slip into and sometimes comical to read.

Adunni is a fourteen year old girl from a small village in Nigeria. Following the death of her mother, the family becomes poorer and her father negotiates a husband for her in exchange for the 'bride money'. She becomes the third wife of an older man and is trapped in a life of servitude instead of getting the education she so wants. Being a spirited and brave girl she escapes her husband and then taken to Lagos to be housekeeper in the wealthy household of Big Madam and her lecherous husband. At first excited going to the big city, she quickly realises she has been trafficked and will not be paid any wages.

This is a powerful and emotional story of female injustice and slavery, yet ultimately is a story of believing in yourself, that you can achieve whatever you want in life.

We may be only just into January (at the time of writing my review!), but The Girl with the Louding Voice could well be my favourite book of 2020 - if not ever!

From the very start, the voice of Adunni sings in her wonderful broken English, making me smile with her way of phrasing her observations and thoughts. Despite the sometimes heartbreaking and brutal way of life, Adunni's joyous spirit is never broken - it just builds her determination. She has a sharp humour, and her intelligence, empathy and compassion shine through the pages.

The other characters are as equally brought to life by the writer, from the old man she is forced to marry, to Big Madam, who, despite her treatment of Adunni, still elicits some semblance of sympathy.

I absolutely loved this book, and will be telling everyone I meet to read it! It is simply wonderful.

Adunni is a young Yoruba girl growing up in in rural Nigeria in a culture that places no value on women. Forced by her father to marry an old man for the sake of the bride price, she runs away to Lagos where she ends up trapped in domestic slavery. In the face of a society that regards her as little more than trash Adunni struggles to gain the education she has always longed for. At times harrowing, The Girl With The Louding Voice is also vibrant, lyrical and uplifting.

"Not his-story I say, my own will be called her-story. Adunni's story"

This book smashed my heart into so many pieces but sort of put it back together again too. The book is all about Adunni, a child who is sold as a third wife to a well-off men in her village but all she wants to do is go back to school and become a teacher.

We follow her life as she meets more people, learns more about herself and her surroundings, as she keeps fighting to be the girl with the louding voice. It's so so so good.

The book is written in sort of broken-child-English which is hard at the beginning. A few chapters in I checked out previous reviews who all seemed to say just persevere with it because you will get used to the writing style quicker than you expect and they were right. After a little while, I forgot how much it had annoyed me and instead just fell completely into the story and hung on its every word.

A must read, really. I can't see me forgetting about Adunni for a very long time.

An astounding first novel and marvellous achievement - you really root for Adunni and hope she can get the education and joy she deserves.

Full review on my blog at https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2020/01/18/book-review-abi-dare-the-girl-with-the-louding-voice/

I loved this book, I loved Adunni and her totally compelling story.. I thorougly enjoyed the story of Nigeria and the way the huge gulf between rich and poor, urban and non urban, rich and poor is shown up. Sadly, I know this to be true. I think the best I can say is that this is a lovely book.

This is a debut novel told in the voice of a young Nigerian girl who is entrapped into a life not of her choosing by her father after the loss of her mother to enable the male family members to get an income.

Adunni, is our 14 year old protagonist and despite the loss of her mother at such a tender age she knows what she wants and that is an education, she believes that with this comes the freedom and "louding voice" which will get her the right to speak for herself and gain the respect she feels she is entitled to in life.

Sadly despite her mothers wishes for her to continue her education, when her mother passes away Adunni is left with her alcoholic father and two brothers to look after. With all the will in the world her father decides to sell her into a polygamous marriage, being the third wife of a local man whose main focus is to get a male progeny to succeed him.

After an earth shattering event occurs to Adunni, the harsh realisation and reality of the events that have happened to her so far hit home and the shock with the adrenaline and need for escape will ask her to draw on the help of an old friend of her mothers to seek asylum and a new life in the city. This only leads Adunni into a life of servitude as a housemaid to a wealthy family. This family will highlight not only the harsh reality of human trafficking but the somewhat outdated beliefs and behaviour's which skewed the value of women at this time in this culture.

Despite this through her exposure to such abusive behaviour, Adunni seems to hold on to her strength of conviction and hope never once losing faith that her goal to receive an education would come true.

I will be honest it did take me quite some time to get into the rhythm of Adunni's voice in this book however, once you get beyond that the beautiful lyricism of the writing draws you deeper and deeper in, whereby you are rooting for Adunni's future with every twist and turn of the road.

This is an amazing piece of debut fiction by Abi Dare and justifiably the winner of the Bath Novel Award in 2019, I look forward with anticipation to further titles written by this author, 5 star must read,

Thank you for the opportunity to give a true and honest review of such a beautiful book, I will be recommending this to friends.

The girl of the title is Adunni, a young Nigerian from a small village whose mother has just died and who must face new realities now that there is no one fighting for her to stay in school. Her mother was the one who believed in education, who believed that Adunni should become a girl with a louding voice. But with her mother gone, her alcoholic father needs money to support himself and Adunni’s younger brother. He wants to marry her off to an older man. An older, rich man who already has two wives.

I could describe the entire plot of the book – because Adunni’s journey is both gripping and memorable – without spoiling the real heart of the novel, Adunni’s beautiful, clever, and thoughtful voice, but I won’t. It’s simpler to say that this is a book you fall in love with because it is almost impossible not to fall in love with Adunni.

Right from the start Adunni’s unusual use of English is enticing and fresh, looking at the difficult choices she faces with pragmatism and bravery. The flaws in Adunni’s grammer do not constrain her expression, but impress her world and perspective more nearly upon us. She is such a warm, smart, optimistic, opportunistic and all-embracing girl that you can’t help loving her and wishing her well. She sees the good even in those who beat her. She sees the difficulties of those whose privilege is far greater than her own.

Without being patronising or preachy, this is a book that encourages its readers to wholeheartedly embrace the good in their lives. Adunni is a character who will speak to many. The Girl with the Louding Voice should go straight onto the lists of books taught in schools. I will be disappointed if it doesn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this novel hit the prize lists for this year. The Girl with the Louding Voice is a remarkable achievement, with an irrepressible character at its heart. Pre-order yours now. It comes out in March 2020.

My Adunni. I want to take you and put a blanket of goodness and protection around you.
This book is beautiful. There are some truly horrific aspects to it that happen to girls very often but the message remains clear. No matter what happens, remember to be strong and believe in yourself. Adunni is a warrior with a heart of gold. Ms Tia said it best that she remains smiling despite the trauma she has endured. I believe that this book is the next THUG because of how groundbreaking and honest it is. I'm in awe of Adunni's character and the way that Abi has managed to portray everyone else felt very real. Especially Big Madam when she has moments of weakness. The strong women who are cruel in this book are not depicted as the monsters the patriarchal society pushes them to be. Whereas the men who behave like monsters are shown thoroughly that their actions and behaviours are as evil as they come. Highly recommend this wonderful and inspiring book to every single person out there. It discusses many important subjects like child slavery, child marriage, feminism, patriarchy and pressure on women to have children even when they don't want to. And the most important thing of all. The importance of education, perseverance and how far all of it can get you. Adunni can definitely become the next president of Nigeria.

The Girl with the Louding voice by Abi Daré

Adunni, a fourteen year old Nigerian girl is removed from school by her skint father following the death of her mother and is sold to be a third wife to an old man. When something awful happens she must flee the only village she has ever known alone and soon lands herself in a position, secretly sold to be a domestic servant where she suffers starvation, beatings and the on going risk of abuse. This girl who is constantly told she is nothing is determined to prove them wrong and become the girl with the louding voice. For her, and other girls just like her.

This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it. Despite being a work of fiction, I am sure, that the tradegy, mistreatment and despair that Adunni suffered and experienced is still happening to this day. A look at cultures so different from my own and a window into domestic servants and modern day slavery.

This book is beautifully written from start to finish. The main characters the stars of the show and I love how the language and derelict comes through in the written word so well.

Adunni at such a young age has experienced more in fourteen years than most us hope we never go through. Its poignant, heartbreaking and inspirational and I cried many tears for Adunni, her mother, her sweet brother Kayus and the friends who treated her right when others didnt.

It was a joy to read, a view into the lives of others. It was a pleasure to follow the extraordinary short life of the Girl with the Louding Voice.

This book is out on 5th March and published by Hodder and Stoughton and can be pre-ordered at Amazon Thanks very much to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Love Janine at Jewellbooks

I loved Adunni's voice. How brave she was to go through all that with a smile on her face. I wish I could hug her! Beautifully written, yet tragic. My only gripe is that I have read this story before and am yet to read a happy book about Nigeria - is it really all bad?

Oh what a lovely book and one of the few I have felt compelled to offer 5 stars to. The story is fascinating, the language brilliant, the characters all too believable. The whole concept and execution, to me, was flawless. I do hope there will be a sequel.

This is a truly amazing book; written as the voice of a young Nigerian girl, in her pidgin English. I thought it would be a tough read because of that but I soon got used to the language and finished the book in just over 24 hours. The story is one of a sad and tough life and relates the abuses that young girls and women have to suffer in a truly patriarchal and often corrupt society. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I think this book deserves to win an award, it is an amazing achievement.

Incredible. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is written exquisitely, and is phenomenally beautiful story.

I was captivated from the start. The book is empowering and highly recommendable. Rich in story, language and culture.

Thanks to Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me an ARC copy of this novel that I freely chose to review, and I am happy I’ve been given this opportunity.
This is one of those books best enjoyed by immersing yourself in it. It is one of those novels that you can see with your mind’s eye and you can imagine being right next to the protagonist (it is narrated in the first person by Adunni, a fourteen year old girl with a very special voice) as the action happens, and you’d love to be able to advise or help her, to protect her from some of the things she has to go through and to warn her at times when she does something foolish. This is not a novel constructed for an analytical mind, where everything fits in neatly; all the characters are consistent throughout; there is not a paragraph of excess information; and where clichés and common places are avoided like the plague. Reading it, I got the feeling that this was a book written with the heart (and the author, in the acknowledgements, explains her process quite well), and it pull at one’s heartstrings. It’s an emotional experience.
In this debut novel, we witness the coming of age of the main character, Adunni, who has to experience things that will be completely alien to most readers (we might have read about them, but, thankfully, many of us have never been exposed to them). Although this is no mystery novel, I won’t go into a lot of detail about the plot. There is child marriage, physical and sexual abuse, exploitation and servitude (she calls it “slavery without the chains” and it is quite an apt description), cheating and lies, poverty and desperation, and a fascinating look at Nigeria and at the huge contrasts there, from outright poverty to extreme wealth. We have a mix of rural customs and traditions with high-tech and modernity, and a society where women are still subservient to men, and where education, rather than a right, is a privilege, especially if you’re a woman.
Adunni is a wonderful character. She has lost her mother to illness when we meet her, and she has become a mother to her younger brother, but still misses her own mother, who instilled in her the importance of getting an education and having her own voice. Unfortunately, her father does not keep his promise to his dead wife and decides to try to solve his financial difficulties by marrying his daughter to a much older man (she is to be the man’s third wife, as he wants to have a son, and that has not happened yet). Nobody seems to understand her reluctance to marry, as many of her friends see this as an opportunity, their best option and their fate. You won’t be surprised if I tell you her marriage proves to be a harrowing experience, although she gets on well with the man’s second wife, who becomes a friend and mother-figure to her. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse, she has to run away and ends up as a servant to a rich woman in Lagos. I wouldn’t say she jumps from the frying pan to the fire, but there is little to choose from between the two situations. What makes Adunni particularly endearing is the fact that through all her troubles she remains optimistic. She gets scared at times, she freezes and does not know what to do (and often takes rushed decisions she lives to regret), she talks too much and gets herself into trouble often (even when she thinks ‘I shouldn’t say that’, she often says it anyway), but even though she does not always do what is best for her, she tries hard to help others and at times puts herself at risk to defend others. She is also eager to learn and will take any opportunity to try, sometimes with hilarious results. She is innocent regarding certain things (she understands how rural society and things in her village work, but is totally naïve as to the workings of a great city), and also gives everybody the benefit of the doubt, always thinking the best of people, even after they disappoint her time and again. She misunderstands many things (she does think her English is much better than it really is, and her attitude towards the language endeared her to me, also a non-native English speaker), but she is never afraid to ask or question what she doesn’t understand, even when her questions are not welcomed. More than anything, she is a credible fourteen year old, who thinks she knows more than she knows, who has had to grow fast because of her circumstances, but still misses and needs her mother.
There are many other characters, most pretty memorable. If we think of the story like the typical quest (the hero’s journey concept), there are some characters who get in the way of Adunni achieving her dream, many horrendous (her husband, big Chief, Kola, his husband’s first wife and Florence, her boss, although we get to understand that they are also victims of their circumstances), some misguided or unable to see beyond the conventions (like her father), and others who help her move on, like Ms Tia and Kofi. Ms Tia made me think of a fairy godmother (and there is plenty of Cinderella in the story and other readers have mentioned similarities to other books), but we do get to learn about her personal circumstances as well, and the relationship benefits both of them, as Ms Tia also learns things about herself in the process. Although the plot is not original, and yes, there are many similarities with other stories and books, the character’s voice and the way she touches everybody around her make it a compelling story and a delight to read.
I’ve mentioned that Adunni narrates the story in the first-person, but she uses broken English that can be jarring to begin with (as an English teacher I couldn’t help but keep correcting her grammar in my head), but I think it communicates clearly the character’s circumstances, and serves her well to analyse and wonder at the world around her. She is very witty and comes up with some wonderful similes and comparisons when she first comes to the city, a completely new experience for her. And she can communicate her feelings and describe them beautifully, even with her limited English. For example, at the beginning of the book, when her father is telling her about his plans for her marriage, she thinks: ‘But sometimes, like today, the sorrow climb out of my heart and stick his tongue in my face.’ Her mother’s advice to her is probably the most quoted fragment of the book: ‘Your schooling is your voice, child. It will be speaking for you even if you didn’t open your mouth to talk. It will be speaking till the day God is calling you come.’ And, if you’re wondering where the title comes from… ‘I don’t just want to be having any kind voice… I want a louding voice.’ I know some readers have found the writing style off-putting, so I definitely recommend anybody thinking of purchasing and reading the book to check a sample first.
Some readers have complained about the ending. They feel it seems a bit too neat, rushed, and it does not seem to fit in with the rest of the story, but this is one of these books where you’re rooting for a character, and a hopeful and positive ending is the minimum she deserves. As I said, there is something of the fairy tale in the story, but the character works hard, studies, makes a big effort, and grows and evolves, without losing her hope and her enthusiasm, and hey, I enjoyed the ending. It might not feel realistic, but this is not that kind of novel.
I recommend this novel to readers interested in learning more about Nigeria and happy to accompany a delightful main character in her journey. She goes through some terrible experiences, so this is not an easy read, but it is a rewarding one. Make sure the writing style works for you, but if it does and you like the sound of it, go for it. It will pull at your heartstrings, and you’re likely to find a new favourite author. I will be eagerly waiting for her next book.

I loved this book, I loved Adunni. A heart rending but inspirational and ultimately uplifting story, I thought it was stunning.

Adunni wants to be a teacher; to continue her education is a promise she made her late mother. Life, however, doesn't take her down that path. Married off so her family can afford to live, escaping to Lagos in a clean break that's far from what she thought her newfound freedom would look like, it's a compelling, powerful story of a young girl in Nigeria whose ambitions never fade, whose voice never settles for silencing. Really loved this.

This is the story of Adunni a 14 year old Nigerian girl living a life of servitude after being forced into marriage and later sold as a domestic servant.
Adunni lost her Mother at a young age but it was her wish for her daughter to get an education and this is Adunni's priority in life. Its the only way forward for her she doesnt just want a voice, she wants a louding voice, to be heard and valued, to help other girls like her.
The language used in this book is beautiful although it took a little getting used to it came across as so authentic and really helped in connecting to Adunni as a character.
After the first chapter I was hooked, her narrative really flows and I was transported into Nigeria with her.
The perseverance, determination and hope Adunni shows is really inspiring and made it a very compelling read.
I love that the author included captions at the beginning of each chapter with facts about Nigeria as this provided not only a sense of place but felt like I was gaining knowledge and insight into the country which was an added bonus.
This book is beautiful, its also heartbreaking and thought provoking. One of my favourites of the year. Honestly as beautiful inside as it is on the outside.

A-MAZ-ING!!!! I don't know how to describe just how brilliant this book is. I absolutely fell in love with Adunni, a fourteen year old Nigerian girl, born into poverty, but with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a passion for questioning everyone and everything around her - she has a 'louding voice.' Adunni dreams of finishing her schooling and becoming a teacher, but her father, unable and unwilling to pay for her education, sells her to a much older man, Morufu, who is taking her as a third wife. Adunni is afraid of this man, and is mauled by him, night after night in his bid to have a son. After a tragic event befalls Morufu's second wife, and dear friend to Adunni, she flees and eventually ends up as a housemaid in Lagos, a city that overwhelms her with its sights and smells.

Her she is forced to work for 15 hours a day, for no money, and only one meal. She is beaten and belittled. She is afraid of Big Daddy who lusts after her. But the cook, Kofi, is kind to her and one day shows her a newspaper article inviting young, female, domestic workers to apply for a scholarship that would pay for her education as well as giving her a home and food. She is afraid to hope or dream, and anyway, needs a referee who will vouch for her. Enter Tia, Adunni's saviour and guardian angel. Tia pours her time and love into Adunni, and together they apply for the scholarship in secret.

When Adunni finds out that she is one of the lucky few to win the scholarship her heart fills with joy and she leaves behind all the hurt and misery of her life working as a housemaid. She is determined that 'a day will come, when my voice will sound so loud all over Nigeria...when I will be able to make a way for other girls to have their own louding voice.'

Adunni is fierce, vulnerable, kind, compassionate, passionate and so so wise. She is one of the most inspiring female characters I have read in a long time. A truly remarkable story that will move anyone who reads it.

I was so excited to read this book and see if all the hype around it was true, and I wasn't disappointed. The voice of the lead character, Adunni, is so strong and sweet and emotive that you can't put the book down until you know how life turns out for her in the end.

Adunni seems to go through every possible bad thing that happens to a girl growing up in poverty. She loses a parent you, is sold to marriage, abused, sold in slavery, manipulated and abused even more. But despite all of this she never loses her spirit and her hopes to be schooled and educated, a desire instilled in her by her mother.

Abi Daré perfectly presents the light and dark in all the people Adunni meets. How people can choose to be good or bad no matter what their circumstances. Adunni faces it all like a champion, and I was amazed at the end how much I felt for and believed in this lead character.

Abi Daré paints a picture of Nigeria so effortlessly I couldn't believe it, it really felt like I was there in the bustling streets of Lagos and in the small village of Ikati.

This is a must-read, and I am so excited to read the next book by Abi Daré.

One of the best books I have read so far. Highly recommended. I had to cringe at some of the things in it because I will never understand what exactly Adunni went through. What I took from it was: no matter how hard, keep pressing on and do not give up on your dreams.

The voice of Africa, All of the truth of Africa today is related in this brilliant book. The religion, the ancient beliefs, the rough, pragmatic justice dispensed by the village elders. Modern and ancient misogynism, the creeping encroachment of western life in Lagos, the influence of those returning from the diaspora.
Brilliantly, handled, showing all the difficulties for young women in Africa today told in a unique voice of today, the fear, the bravery but above all the optimism.

Abi Daré’s debut is an unforgettable portrayal of a young Nigerian girl finding her voice and fighting for her right to a better life.

The story follows Adunni, a 14-year-old girl who is sold to an older man so her father can claim her bride price. Throughout the story, what shines through is Adunni’s kindness towards others, even those who beat and degrade her, and her unwavering hope for a brighter future.

Daré writes in a beautiful way, allowing Adunni to narrate the story in her own voice using her limited English which for me, made the narrative even more authentic and compelling.

I loved this novel and I can’t wait to see what Abi Daré produces next.