The Girl with the Louding Voice
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Abi Daré |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Adjoa Andoh |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Sceptre (UK) E. P. Dutton (US) |
Publication date | 2020 |
The Girl with the Louding Voice is a 2020 coming of age novel and the debut novel of Nigerian writer Abi Daré. It tells the story of a teenage Nigerian girl called Adunni who becomes a maid and struggles with many things growing up, including her limited education, poverty and her inability to speak up for herself.
Writing process
Abi Dare stated that she first had the idea for the novel when she read a news article about a 13 year house help who had hot water poured on her by her Madam. Daré also stated that the book was partly inspired by her daughters and her years living in rural Nigeria. It was written over a period of 3 years with her using non-standard English, and some borrowed words from Pidgin English, in the novel. Dare's reason for using non-standard English was that she believes that standard English is not a measure of intelligence.
Plot
Adunni is a 14-year-old girl from a poor home who lives in a small town near the city of Lagos. She wishes to get an education but she cannot due to lack of funds. When things start getting sour, her father Papa marries her off, against her wishes, to Morufu as his third wife in order to use her bride price for the family upkeep. Her husband rapes her repeatedly. Later, she runs to Lagos where she is employed by Big Madam who exploits and enslaves her and abuses her many times, but Adunni is determined to face all these problems when she makes up her mind that education is the only way to be free from her oppressions.
Themes
The Girl with the Louding Voice deals with women's voice, the ability to speak up and the drive toward pushing to get to one's dream as showcased by the main character Adunni. The novel has also been noted for its realistic depiction of sexism, poverty in Nigeria, child labor and child marriage in Nigeria, issues that the main character battles with in order to get education.
Reception
The book received several positive reviews, became a New York Times Bestseller, is a 'Read with Jenna' choice and a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime pick. Published by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder, it was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for first time novelists. It was recommended by several Media outlets including The New York Times, Vogue and Essence. A starred review by Kirkus Reviews called it "Heartbreaking and inspiring."