The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

 

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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, fourteen-year-old 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.

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title : the Girl with the Louding Voice

Author : Abi Dare

Published year : 2020

Pages : 371

Genre : Young Adult

Language : English

Age recommendation : 13+

First, let me say that I love the name of the protagonist, Adunni. I didn’t know what it meant until the middle of the book, but it already sounded beautiful to me.

This is a story about survival, courage, and unwavering faith. The first chapter opens with Adunni’s first-person narration and her daily life. Her mother has just passed away, and she lives with her patriarchal father, her older brother, and her little brother. She is 14 years old, has never had the chance to finish primary school, but she promises herself that she will finish school no matter what it takes. Before she died, Adunni’s mother made her father promise that Adunni would complete her education because she knew how important schooling is for girls in Nigeria.

But life is not easy. Her father cannot even pay their rent and decides to trade his only daughter into marriage with an adult—actually, a middle-aged man. In their village, this is the simplest and not-uncommon solution. Even Adunni’s friends envy her; for them, marriage is the best thing a girl can hope for.

Adunni wants to run away, but it is not an unthinkable situation—many predecessors who tried to escape were beaten or exiled. She also thinks of her little brother, Kayus, because her family desperately needs the money from that old man.

With a river of tears, she marries him and becomes his third wife. The old man desperately wants a son, yet his current wives have only given birth to girls. And as expected, life after marriage does not get easier—it gets even harder.

The first wife, who is as old as Adunni’s mother, is jealous and determined to make Adunni’s life miserable. The second wife is kinder—only a few years older than Adunni, already a mother of three girls (soon four), and treats Adunni like a big sister would.

Perhaps the second wife is the only bit of salvation in Adunni’s new life—the reason she survives nights of torture from the old man and constant hostility from the first wife. But her salvation does not last long. In a desperate moment, Adunni runs away from her husband’s house, then from her village, only to end up being sold as a house slave to a cruel and cunning couple.

They are known as Big Madam and Big Daddy, the owners of the house. Big Madam is a very successful career woman, while her husband is a casanova who spends his days fooling around with many women.

Adunni soon realizes that she will never receive a single penny from the agent who sold her, and returning to her village is not an option. So she endures her days in servitude, biting her lip and holding back her tears whenever Big Madam hits or slaps her.

One thing piques her interest: Rebecca, the housemaid before her, who suddenly disappeared. Nobody tells Adunni where exactly Rebecca went, but one thing she knows for sure—she does not want to end up like her.

I like Adunni’s character in this novel. She is smart, naive, brave, and tenacious. Her bold tongue often gets her into trouble, but she refuses to be silenced. She would rather be beaten than lose her voice. Her broken English narration is refreshing (and often hilarious).

Even though some plot points are predictable, I really enjoyed this Young Adult novel because it reminds me of unwavering determination. Her tenacity to pursue education is the driving force that keeps her going. And despite meeting many cruel people, she also encounters kind ones who help her along the way.

This is a highly recommended read, especially for young adults. The book also offers many insights about Nigeria in an accessible way. This is actually the first Nigerian novel I’ve ever read. I am a bit ambivalent about the ending because I wanted more stories about Kayus! Please make a sequel!