Nascent Dreams Come Alive In ‘The Girl With The Louding Voice’

At the beginning of the year I made a promise to read one book a month and review it here.

I figured it’d be a good way to make myself finish the books I start and tell you about them along the way.

So January’s book review was Atomic Habits, by James Clear, followed by February’s Chest Pain, by Michael Harding.

But little did I know that as March rolled around, my newly-minted habit would become a welcome distraction from all the craziness of the coronovirus world.

So I threw myself into The Girl With The Louding Voice: A Novel, the debut novel by Nigerian-born author Abi Daré, and I kept reading and reading.

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but not so here. The beautiful vibrancy of the dust jacket also leaps out from the pages of what turned out to be a compelling tale of triumph against adversity.

Thumbs Up

It takes a skillful writer to successfully conjure the sights, smells and subtle nuance of places and situations. Daré delivers.

I loved how she told this story. I especially loved the colorful cadence of the colloquial English spoken by Adunni, the 14-year-old  main character, who springs to life and brings us along on a journey from her rural Nigerian village to the bustling streets of Lagos.

From the horrors of becoming a child bride to being a beaten housemaid, Adunni lives in a world where girls grow up so quickly that their nascent dreams barely have a chance to take root, let alone blossom.

Right from the beginning, I was cheering for the kind-hearted and optimistic Adunni. I acutely felt the many injustices and cruelties foisted on her as if they were my own.

From the horrors of becoming a child bride to a being beaten housemaid, Adunni lives in a world where girls grow up so quickly that their nascent dreams barely have a chance to take root, let alone blossom.

But catch hold they do for this young girl.

Not Just Any Voice Will Do

She desperately wants to become a teacher and help other girls from her village get an education and break the cycle of poverty. Her impoverished father has other ideas.

After the death of her mother, who had wanted her to continue going to school, her father arranges for her to marry a man with two wives.

A determined Adunni has her own ideas about how she wants to live her life.

“My mama say education will give me a voice. I want more than just a voice … I want a louding voice,” Adunni says.

Did You Know?

The author peppers the book with interesting facts about Nigeria.

The Yoruba consider twins to be a “supernatural blessing, believed to usher in great wealth and protection” for their family.

Having twins, I liked that.

Also, Nigerian senators are some of the highest-paid lawmakers in the world. They roughly earn the equivalent of $1.7 million in salary and allowances each year.

The Girl With The Louding Voice is also a Read With Jenna book club pick. I can totally see why.

Go ahead and give it a try.

Up next month, look for a review of House Lessons: Renovating a Life, by Erica Bauermeister.

I’ve started it and I’m officially sucked in. Read along with me if you’d like.