Recent Reads - The Girl With the Louding Voice

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The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare - I remember seeing this title on the reading lists of other bloggers, and although it's not my usual genre, something about the cover and brief description captured my interest. I'm so glad I took a chance on this novel - it has been a delight and the main character is one of my favorite young heroines.

Adunni is a fourteen year-old Nigerian girl who wants an education more than anything. She lives in a small village where education is not highly valued, and certainly not for girls. Her mother was her champion and worked hard to keep Adunni in school, but by the time the story opens, Adunni's mother is dead and her father is broke. Adunni is sold as a child bride to an old taxi driver who already has two wives, and that is the end of her hope to continue school. In fact, Adunni's future is very bleak, as she is hated and abused by the senior wife, but she finds an unexpected friend in the second wife who encourages Adunni to hold onto her dreams. 

A tragedy takes her new friend's life, and fearing for her own life, Adunni flees the village, and is taken to the capital city of Lagos and given as a house servant to a wealthy woman known as Big Madam. Adunni naively hopes that Big Madam will send her to school, but these hopes are soon dashed and Adunni finds herself in slavery and regularly beaten and abused by her mistress. Thankfully she finds a friend in Big Madam's household too - the cook Kofi tries to keep her safe and when he discovers Adunni's dream of education he shares information with her about a scholarship opportunity. 

Despite the many obstacles and disadvantages, Adunni starts working towards applying for the scholarship, eventually coming to the notice of a young woman in Big Madam's social circle who is sympathetic and is convinced to help Adunni. Tia is reluctant to get involved at first, but Adunni's hope and kindness wins her over and the two become close friends as Tia teaches Adunni better English and even agrees to sponsor her and write a recommendation for the scholarship application.

Adunni faces more hardship, abuse, discrimination, and cruelty than anyone should have to bear, and certainly far too much for a young teenage girl, but her hope and spirit is infectious. Her fondest dream is to finish her own education and earn a voice so that she can return to her village and help other girls find their voices and a better life through education and independence. Or, as Adunni words it, "to find their free". 

Adunni narrates her own story, and her broken English is lyrical, with descriptions of her feelings and surroundings that are incisive and haunting, and often achingly beautiful and poetic. She knows that she needs to improve her English, and as she does so with Tia's help, the narration's grammar becomes more standard, but Adunni's insightful observations and expressions remain distinctive. 

I have no idea if a follow-up novel is planned, but Adunni is such an endearing and inspiring character that I would love to see her story continued as she grows to adulthood. In the meantime, I give this moving and beautiful novel my highest recommendation.

This is a book outside my (genre) comfort zone (and a debut novel) for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.

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