The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Dare

FRIDAY FAVE

The Girl With The Louding Voice was one of my favourite books I read last year. Startlingly, this is a debut novel from @abidare_author who is immensely talented. She painted a picture in my mind so evocative and rich of Nigeria I felt like I could see the characters and colours of the scenery.

This is a powerful and important book, highlighting the colossal disparity of wealth, education and opportunity in the society. Adumni is 14 and about to be married to an older man to provide money for her father. The plot takes her to Lagos, where she ends up a servant, though slave would be a more accurate term given her wage is taken by another.

Her childlike innocence, depicted in the prose used to portray her innermost thoughts, is set against a backdrop of hardship. Somehow, this young girl continues to harbour motivation to succeed, a central arc of the story.

@abidare_author gives a voice to the countless girls born into horrific hardship, raised to be sold to the highest bidder, who have no autonomy over their lives. I raced through this book in one sitting and I would urge anyone to read this, it will stay with you for a long time.

Books are magical, they have the ability to change the discourse, to change the understanding of an entire generation. This is one of them, particularly appropriate to highlight given October is #blackhistorymonth here in the UK.

~ Chaya