The Girl with the Louding Voice Book Review

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The Girl with the Louding Voice is Abi Daré’s debut novel – set in Nigeria it follows Adunni, a fourteen year old girl who lives in a small village and is forced to marry a local taxi driver after her father can’t afford the rent. Desperate to continue her education, Adunni dreads having to live as a third wife with her new husband and just wants to learn and make her way in the world so she can provide for her brother and father. Journeying with Adunni as she travels to Lagos for a better chance at life, we see the horror and betrayal she encounters along the way. But with a fierce personality and a desire for education, Adunni is determined to succeed and become the girl with the louding voice, and reading her story, you will be rooting for her the whole way.

I partly read this book in paperback and partly read it as an audiobook and I’m really glad I did. Written in a made-up English to reflect Adunni’s dialect, the book is by no means hard to understand, but by listening to it, it immerses you in the story so much more. The narrator has a Nigerian accent which gives the narrative such authenticity, but also moments such as when Adunni is singing, to hear the words actually sung, allows for this story to capture your heart in way I don’t think written word could in quite such an impactful way.

About halfway through the novel the chapters start to begin with facts about Nigeria that Adunni reads in a book. What I loved about this was how it grounds the book in reality; a lot of Adunni’s story is harrowing and painful to read, and yet, these facts remind you that, despite Adunni’s story being fictional, this is the reality for real women and girls. From the Firecracker that her husband drinks before he rapes her, to the ceremony performed on pregnant women so their babies are born healthy, this book sparks a conversation about the change which is necessary in order to give girls like Adunni a good chance in life, and to stop practices like child marriage which despite being outlawed, continue to take place.

The female characters in this book were the most intruiging, it almost felt like Daré was showing the reader what Adunni’s future could look like depending on the path she took. From the mysterious disappearance of Rebecca, to the heart-breaking story of her husband’s second wife Khaija, and the woeful marriage of Big Madam, to the guiding light of Ms Tia – all of these women embody a truth if not for Adunni then for many girls in Nigeria. Ultimately Daré used these women to show that their stories are viciously determined by men and only a few manage to escape the life that’s chosen for them, and even then, they may end up so bitter and hateful that they forget what it was like to be trapped as they once were.

That’s not to say all the men in this book are villains – most are, but there are a few characters such as Kofi who allow Adunni to witness that men are capable of kindness, despite their surroundings. The friendship between them is a hopeful part of the story and one which injects Adunni with even more determination to succeed.

This story is harrowing and in places deeply disturbing, and unfortunately reflects the reality for some even today. Daré’s powerful story is evidence of the change that’s needed and the empowering ability that giving a voice to girls like Adunni can have. She so easily could have faded into oblivion should she have stayed with her husband, forced to birth children and not experiencing life beyond her village, but she didn’t. Instead she persevered and didn’t allow herself to be oppressed. Adunni’s courage and joyful spirit will give you hope throughout this book and I am glad I read her story.