Dare's exuberant, moving debut revolves around Adunni; a Nigerian girl regarded as property at the age of fourteen, yet determined to find her 'louding voice' and live a life that she controls.
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year 2021
Shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020
All you have are your words.
Meet Adunni, a teenage girl born into a rural Nigerian village.
Aged fourteen, she is a commodity, a wife, a servant.
She is also smart, funny, curious, with a spirit and joy infectious to those around her.
And despite her situation going from bad to worse, she has a plan to escape: she will find her 'louding voice' and get her education, so that she can speak up for herself - and all the girls who came before her.
As she turns enemies into friends and superiors into aides, Adunni will take you with her on a heart-breaking but inspiring journey from a small village to the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, and show you that no matter the situation, there is always some joy to be found.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781529359275
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 285 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 26 mm
[A] brave, fresh voice . . . Daré draws the reader in with a vivid character whose dire circumstances are contrasted with her natural creativity . . . Unforgettable - New York Times
An impressive debut novel - Observer
Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change her destiny shine through this remarkable book. - Independent
The story told in this novel is an important one . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice joins a long and fine tradition of issue-led novels that have sparked conversations resulting in social change. - Guardian
Narrated by Adunni herself in a brilliantly sustained broken English, this ultimately uplifting debut novel shines a penetrating light on the barbaric practices of child labour and child marriage - Mail on Sunday
This is a compelling, captivating and unforgettable debut - Mirror
Dare's characters leap off the page, powering this funny, luminous and heart-swelling tale - Daily Mail, Summer Fiction Special
A vibrant, tender, beautiful novel - Elizabeth Day
Abi Daré makes a sparkling literary debut . . . and marks the appearance of a strong and stylish new talent - Harper's Bazaar
The Girl With the Louding Voice is a character for the ages. Adunni is a girl who narrates her own suffering with levity, who paints depth and texture and beauty into her Nigerian homeland, who tenderly cultivates her own humanity even while everything around her seeks to thwart it. She is an ambassador for girls everywhere. She is important, funny, brave, and enduring. Abi Daré has written an unforgettable novel, by the strength of her own louding voice.
Incredible . . . packs an emotional punch - Eithne Farry, Sunday Express
Adunni's humour and fierce determination to change herdestiny shine through this remarkable debut novel. - i
Compelling and captivating ... an unforgettable novel and, in Adunni, the author has created a truly unforgettable voice - Daily Express
Abi Daré is a writer who not only knows how to create a powerful sensory impression, but also one who can really work the rhythm, texture and music of language. The words jump off the page . . . The Girl with the Louding Voice never feels like standard fare. It's lifted not only by the verve of its prose, but also its touching explorations of friendship and solidarity. It has an emotional connection that remains strong even in the final pages - Sam Jordison, Guardian
Gives an eloquent voice to the victims of modern slavery - Independent
A stunning novel - original, beautiful and powerful. I was utterly captivated by Adunni and her mesmerising louding voice.
A powerful debut novel . . . Compelling . . . Readers will fall in love with Adunni . . . The writing is addictive and deeply evocative. A beautiful debut from a talented author - Herald
Despite the heartbreaking subject matter, this is a story of hope ... a compelling read - Sunday Post
A bravely determined heroine - Sunday Times
A story of courage that will win over your heart - Stylist
Abi Daré's book is compulsive reading - Irish Tatler
A true original, this will open your eyes - Cosmopolitan
Winning comedy sparkles through the grimness . . . it's the vividly alive characters that keep you hooked, all the way to Daré's rousing, heart-swelling conclusion - Daily Mail
A bold new storyteller . . . Abi Daré's fearless debut is a celebration of girls who dare to dream and those who help them unfurl their wings so that they might soar
Adunni's voice weaves and dances its way across the pages with a rhythm that captivated me, astonished me and, more than once, broke my heart
Heartbreaking and inspiring. Daré provides a valuable reminder of all the young women around the world who are struggling to be heard and how important it is that we listen to them. A moving story of what it means to fight for the right to live the life you choose. - Kirkus
2020 [is] a dazzling year for debut novelists . . . This 2018 Bath Novel Award winner takes a long, hard look at modern slavery through the eyes of 14-year-old Adunni - Vogue
Pick the novel up now - Radio Times
Resilience and beauty of language are at the heart of this story of domestic slavery - Sainsbury's Magazine
It's an amazing book... I heartily recommend - Jo Whiley, Radio 2 Book Club
A virtuosic study of female loss, determination, and of the subversive potential of words . . . It magnificently reveals how language constructs us as humans. With immense skill, Daré creates an irresistible energy and powerfully sustains it on every page - Preti Taneja
This book genuinely blew me away- comparisons to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 'Half a Yellow Sun' are more than justified; by the end of the first chapter I was there, amidst the heat and sounds of... More
Adunni, a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl will capture your heart from the first pages of this wonderful debut. Her story is about having dreams and changing your destiny; being forced to marry an older man after his... More
I read a pre-publication copy of this and was completely hooked and mesmerised from the start by the story of Adunni , a 14 year old Nigerian girl who is desperate for an education but who becomes the 3rd wife of a... More
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